DBZ: Crossroads
by SSJ Mirai Gohan
Summary: One week after the defeat of Cell, Gohan catches the heart virus that killed Mirai Goku. If Gohan survives the virus, will he be strong enough to defeat Buu? If he dies, and goes to Otherworld, how will he make it back in time to save his friends and family from Majin Buu? Only time (and this fanfic!) will tell.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:**_ Hi! Decided to do this as a little side project. There's this app called "Microsoft Word", and it allows me to work on my documents on my phone! You can save your work and everything. It's awesome! **Words** = exaggerated word, or someone is yelling.

 _Words_ = thoughts

Words = normal stuff, dialogue, ect

. **Disclaimer:** I don't own DBZ! I don't own anything until I'm a legal adult, 18, unfortunately….

 **CHAPTER ONE:**

 **(It has been a week since Cell was defeated. Gohan is still 11.)**

Gohan stared out his small window. The blue sheets on his learn-while-you-sleep bed were twisted and tangled up, halfway to the floor. His pillow was missing off the bed, but the small eleven year old was hugging it to his chest. Well, not his pillow. It was actually his Dad's pillow. It smelled like his dad, too. Every person had their own scent, Gohan was learning. His mother had a pleasant, sweet scent. His dad had a woodsy, thick scent. Not an unpleasant one. Gohan himself had a sweet, woodsy scent.

Gohan was leaning against the sturdy wood of his window. He had crawled in there and was watching the world around him. He closed his eyes as a strong gust of wind blew, blowing the curtains back and ruffling in his thick black hair. Gohan scrunched his eyes at the unpleasant feeling and itched his scalp. He returned his hand to where it was hugging his knees – and his pillow! – to his chest. He understood Goku's death and had gotten over it, but still… Gohan yearned for his father. He missed his Dad just being around the house, doing push-ups in the kitchen, the tickle-fight baths, and the simply giant trees he'd bring home for firewood.

"Can't sleep?" a gruff voice broke Gohan out of his reverie. Gohan almost jumped out of his skin. He took a quick peek behind him, fearful, that Chi-Chi would catch him up at three in the morning. He sighed in relief and glanced out his window again, greeted by the sight of a tall, grumpy Namekian. Due to their bond, Piccolo could sense Gohan's thoughts, emotions, and presence. Gohan had a much lesser grasp on the bond, so he could only see a bit of emotion, no thoughts, and could always tell where Piccolo was.

"Oh, hi Mister Piccolo!" Gohan said brightly. He loved his mentor – he figured that he could tell Piccolo anything. "Yeah, having trouble sleeping. I just woke up about half an hour ago. I'm not sure why… if it was a nightmare, I don't remember it. But I don't usually get nightmares after everything that's happened. It could also be some sort of pain that woke me up, but if it was, the pain has passed now. What sort of pain could cause harm to a Super Saiyan Two? I just don't know, Mister Piccolo." Piccolo listened like he always did, in silence. His expression didn't change, and Gohan didn't have a full grasp on his thoughts to figure his mentor out anytime soon.

"It's just one night, Gohan. Unless this has been happening for the last month, I'm sure everything is fine." Piccolo finally said. He sighed softly, Gohan's sensitive ears picking up the sound.

"I'm sorry if I bothered you. Was my Ki going crazy or something?" Gohan asked, tilting his head. His mentor had a smell all his own… Gohan didn't even have a name for this particular scent. It was very strange. Sort of like the woods, the rivers, but then this one quality that all Namekians seemed to have. It wasn't a bad smell, just strange.

"Yes. It started rising and dropping on a lesser scale about an hour ago, and about fourth minutes ago, it started rising and falling dramatically. We figured something was wrong, so we wanted to approach you and see what was happening t." Piccolo said. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest, his cape and turban flying in the wind. Once, when Gohan was seven, he had caught Piccolo asleep. He had snuggled into the cape and fell asleep listening to Piccolo's heart. Gohan remembered blearily rubbing his eyes as Piccolo yelled at him. Ever since, Piccolo was very careful of where he slept.

"Huh. I don't remember that. It must have happened when I was asleep… and what did you mean by 'we'?" Gohan asked. Piccolo gestured behind him. He floated away, leaning against the side of the house as Krillin and Yamcha floated towards the window. "Hey Gohan!" Krillin greeted with a grin. Yamcha simply saluted him with two fingers.

"We all came." Krillin explained. "We were worried! Tien, Chiaotzu – heck! Even Vegeta's here. We heard your conversation with Piccolo. It is weird that you just woke up, but it can't be anything too serious." Krillin was in his normal orange, turtle-hermit gi. Yamcha was in his baseball uniform.

"Yeah, you guys are right." Gohan said, smiling brightly at his friends. "But still… I have a bad feeling about this." Gohan's mood turned serious, a frown etched upon his face. "It's like a claw in my belly. I don't think that this a good sign, Krillin. Something bad is going to happen, I just know it!" Gohan shook his head stubbornly. "I don't know. I'm going to go get some sleep, okay?" Gohan grinned again, waving goodbye at his friends. He jumped off the windowsill, going to straighten up his bed so Chi-Chi wouldn't yell at him. Gohan made his bed like a pro, then climbed in and snuggled into the covers. By his door, Gohan had hung up his father's old gi. It hung there as a testament to a hero who died in battle. As the Z Fighters left, Gohan could sense Piccolo, still leaning against the wall. Only now, he was in a meditative pose. Gohan smiled to himself – Piccolo wouldn't leave, no matter who told him to. Gohan snuggled deeper into his covers, comforted by the presence of Piccolo, and the scent of his father. He closed his eyes, curling his body around his chest. Gohan was soon fast asleep, listening to the beat of his own heart.

 **(The Next Morning)**

"Gohan!" Gohan woke up to his mother's voice, calling him from the kitchen. He blinked his eyes open, blearily rubbing the sleep out of them as he looked towards his door. "Breakfast is ready! Come and get it!" Gohan yawned, stretching. He arched his back, his hands locking together and stretching for the ceiling. Gohan yawned again and slumped back to his bed, trying to get in some sort of awareness before his mother busted in and smashed the awareness into him. "Coming, Mom!" Gohan called back. The delicious scent of his breakfast wafted through the door. That woke Gohan up. Definitely. Gohan shook his head, his wild hair going in every direction. Gohan looked over at the state of his room and gulped. He had left the window open last night, so there were leaves, pinecones, and sticks all over his room. _Guess I'll have to clean this up after breakfast…_ _before Mom sees it!_ Gohan shook his head and walked out of his room, shutting the door behind him.

"Mm! Smells delicious, Mom!" Chi-Chi had really outdone herself today. "Uh, where is it?" Gohan could smell the breakfast, but couldn't see it anywhere. He blinked in confusion, tilting his head at his mother. "Outside, honey." Chi-Chi was getting a plate out for herself. Gohan usually just grabbed the dish and ate. She handed Gohan a pair of chopsticks before heading outside to their huge table. It was much bigger than the one inside, and had all sorts of supports on it to strengthen it against the weight of all the food.

"Wow, thanks Mom!" Gohan licked his lips, drool coming out of a corner of his mouth as he stared hungrily at the food on the table. He waited patiently for his mother to load her own plate full of food. Being the gentleman that he was, Gohan always let his mother have food first, in case he ate the rest of it. In the middle of the table was a giant pot full of white rice. Around the pot were plates of waffles, pancakes, sausage, miso soup, egg rolls, natto, fruit, fried pork, chicken, eggs, tofu, fish, toast, yogurt, and noodles.

"You can go ahead now, Gohan." Chi-Chi said. She put her plate down and took a sip of her coffee. She had a lot of green tea on the table as well for her baby boy. Gohan, just like his dad, didn't need to be told twice. He wiped the drool off of his face before diving into the food. In seconds, the pot of rice was being demolished. Egg rolls and sausages were disappearing at alarming rates. The natto was gone, and the fried pork was looking pretty pathetic. Gohan gulped down the miso soup before destroying the pancakes. Chi-Chi was eating calmly, gently picking her food up with her chopsticks and chewing it before swallowing. She was undisturbed by Gohan's eating habits. He was actually a very neat eater – when Goku was around, food would fly everywhere and you could hear him slurping, chewing, burping, and swallowing. Gohan was not that rude. He ate quietly and politely. He just ate a lot. Gohan finished his meal. The table looked exactly like it did before… minus the food. Gohan was sighing contentedly, patting his stomach while his eyelids fluttered shut.

"Oh, wow… thanks Mom, that was delicious!" Gohan said. "You're an amazing cook, Mom." Gohan gulped nervously as Chi-Chi put her food down and stared him down. Has she already found out about my room? Gohan bit his lip as his mother sighed.

"Thank you, Gohan. But before you go back to your studies, I need to talk to you about something." Chi-Chi said. "You're going to be a big brother, Gohan. I'm pregnant. I just found out from the doctor yesterday."

"I'm… going to be a big brother?" Gohan grinned, wanting to jump up and down but refrained from it. "That's great, Mom! Is it a boy or a girl?"

"We don't know yet, sweety. If it's a boy, I'll name him Goten. If it's a girl I'll name her Gosuke." Chi-Chi smiled, a hand on her stomach. She wasn't bloated yet, but she would be in a few months! Chi-Chi sighed softly. "I only wish that this child could see your father, Gohan." She said absentmindedly

"I'd love it if they could." Gohan agreed. He grinned at a nearby tree – on the tree was a bird's nest. Made of twigs, moss, and other slightly gross things, the nest was rough and not that pretty to look at. However, it did provide a safe and warm place for the chicks to grow up before they were pushed out of the nest and into their own life. It was much like the Son family. "Well, now that I've finished breakfast, I'm going to clean my room and then study. Is that okay, Mom?" Gohan asked, getting up from the table. He started clearing the table, taking all the empty plates and all the dishes off of it. With expert care, he swept everything off of the table and onto himself. He was levitating using his Ki, had the rice pot on his left knee, three dishes and the tea pot on his head, six dishes on his right arm and six on his left. In his left hand he carried the utensils and on his right, he had his cup.

"That's fine, Gohan. If you drop something, you're grounded!" Chi-Chi threatened. Truth be told, she was quite proud of Gohan for being able to clear the table the way he did. And he was going to clean his room and study! Oh, she was so proud of him! He'd make a wonderful husband to some lucky girl someday. At the thought of Gohan being married, Chi-Chi went into "grandbabies" mode. She had stars in her eyes as she swayed back and forth. Gohan sweatdropped and simply went inside. He quickly piled the dishes by the sink, so that his mother could wash them later.

Gohan dashed inside his room and started cleaning up as fast as possible. It was 7:30am. In three hours, Chi-Chi would come into his room with snacks and some juice. His room needed to be spotless before she found out! Otherwise… he was toast! Gohan dashed out of his room and grabbed a mop and bucket. He dashed back in and started cleaning the mud off of the floor. After drying his floor, he returned the mop, then grabbed the vaccum. After all the dust and dirt was gone, Gohan gathered up all the leaves and twigs and threw them out the window. They landed in a heap outside of his window. He half-closed the window, then fixed the curtains and tidied up his bed and desk. Gohan glanced at the clock; 10:29am. He gulped and almost broke the chair by rushing to it and sitting down, ripping his books open and started studying. One minute later, Chi-Chi walked into the room with his snack tray – a glass of orange juice and a twenty-layer sandwich.

"Oh, Gohan, I'm so proud of you. Your room is so tidy! Here, what are you studying?" Chi-Chi set the tray on his desk and peering at his study book. "Combinatorics! Now, Gohan, what is combinatorics all about?"

"Combinatorics is the study of discrete objects. The objects have to satisfy specific criteria for the largest, smallest, and optimal objects. That's how far I've gotten." Gohan said, blinking up at his mother.

"Very good, Gohan! You get back to studying, alright?" Chi-Chi was ready to squeal. Her boy was a genius! If he could just agree to one year of highschool, then he could get accepted into a high level college! He would be the smartest person there. He'd graduate with top marks and be a world-renown scientist! And of course, he'd give her many grandchildren!

"Hey, Mom, after lunch, can I go train?" Gohan asked innocently. At once, Chi-Chi's dreams of the future shattered with visions of her baby boy dying on the battlefield. Of him in college having no idea what math even was. He'd never graduate. Never be a scientist. No girl in her right mind would want a freeloader! Chi-Chi turned her furious gaze on her son. Gohan gulped, afraid he had made a terrible mistake. He shrank down under his mother's glare, trying to laugh it off. "I just want to be stronger, Mom. Like Dad." Gohan got a determined spark in his eyes. "So I can protect everyone in case-"

"Gohan, NO. What you don't seem to understand is that the adults do the fighting! Children aren't supposed to!" Chi-Chi interrupted.

"Mom, Dad died because I wasn't strong enough. Next time, that isn't going to happen. I'm training after lunch, Mom." Gohan had made his decision. He needed to train. It was a must! He needed to protect everyone! _I'm sorry, Mom, but this is what Dad would do. I'll still study, I just need to fight, too. My real place isn't in a lab, making money, Mom. It's fighting to save innocents._

"Gohan, I am your mother, and as your mother, I will decide what you can and cannot do!" Chi-Chi screamed.

"I'm going!" Gohan stood up and yelled right back at her. His tone immediately softened at his mother's shocked expression. "Dad died defending innocents. My place is fighting to protect innocent people too, Mom. It's what I'm meant to do!" Gohan's eyes pleaded with her to understand.

"Alright, fine. But only after lunch. After supper, you're studying!" Chi-Chi, seeing she wasn't going to stop her eleven year old son, decided to just allow him to train – as long as he studied, of course.

"Yup! Thanks, Mom!" Gohan hugged his mother, then returned to his books. He ate his sandwich in one bite, then swallowed and began taking sips of his juice. Chi-Chi took the tray away into the kitchen, where she was washing breakfast dishes and making lunch. Chi-Chi had to have three separate sets of dishes, pots, pans, and utensils because of how much those two Saiyans ate. Now, only one Saiyan.

Gohan continued studying his math. He finished the book and decided he'd go outside for some fresh air. Gohan unlocked his window and hopped out of it, shutting it behind him. He breathed in the fresh mountain air and expanded his senses, wondering his sensei was. Gohan locked onto his target. He ran into the forest, then climbed a tree. The bark was rough and helped him grip the tree to get to the top. He looked around, relying on his and Piccolo's link to guide him. Gohan jumped from tree branch to tree branch, finding his mentor meditating in front of a waterfall. Gohan levitated himself and jumped slightly as Piccolo opened his eyes and looked behind him just before Gohan poked him.

"Hey, Mister Piccolo!" Gohan greeted kindly. He formed his own meditative pose, smiling brightly at his mentor.

"Hmph. What's up, kid?" Piccolo asked.

"Mom is letting me train in between lunch and dinner. Think we could spar later?" Gohan tilted his head and smiled. "Maybe we can even get Vegeta in on the action! It'll be fun, Piccolo, what do you think?"

"Sounds good, kid." Piccolo smiled at his student. Gohan frowned slightly. His heart was beating a little too fast for the level of activity he was doing. He looked up, seeing Piccolo had noticed his frown.

"Gotta run before Mom catches me. Bye Piccolo!" Gohan called as he sped off. He landed on the ground, a hand over his heart. This sure is strange. I haven't been doing that much activity, but my heart is beating way too fast. Gohan gasped in pain, falling to his knees as his chest started aching. It felt like someone was squeezing his rib cage shut and squishing his heart! Gohan moaned slightly, his hand tightening over his chest. _Wait a second! the boy's eyes opened wide. This might be Dad's heart disease! Oh man… I really hope I'm wrong. But if I'm right… I can't tell anyone. I don't want to worry them. Especially Mom. I'll just have to tough it out! I bet that I'm strong enough to handle this. I have to be!_

 _~Has Gohan really caught Goku's radical heart disease? If so, how long can he hold on before it's too late to save him? Find out next time, on DBZ: Crossroads!~_

 **To everyone who reviewed this chapter:**

 **I apologize for the lack of spaces! I completed this on my phone, and it had all the necessary spaces in my e-mail, so I figured it was fine. I'm really sorry! I just edited the document and added spaces. Thanks for reviewing! I'll watch out for this in the future.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**_

Thanks for reading, everyone! I'll try to update this once a day. Wish me luck!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own DBZ!

 **CHAPTER TWO:**

Gohan arrived back home. His pain had passed and he was able to function again. He dove back into his studies, erasing the last equation in his book and redoing it before his mother came into his room. Gohan gulped and closed the window. He heard her footsteps on the wood of the hallway, his eyes widening. He kicked the sticks he had blown into his room under his bed and turned his head to his studies. Just in time.

"Gohan, lunch is ready!" Chi-Chi said, opening his door. Gohan looked up from his book and nodded slightly. He had gotten dressed in his white button-down shirt and black pants. He sighed softly and got out of his chair to follow his mother to lunch.

On the giant table were plates and bowls of curry rice, ramen, steamed pork buns, dumplings, rice, sushi, fish, spring rolls, noodles, miso soup, and tea. Gohan sat down. The food smelled wonderful, but he had a worried look on his face. He looked down at the ground as he thought, the wind ruffling Gohan's thick black mop of hair.

"Gohan, darling. You can start now." Chi-Chi had noticed the look. Food was the final test – of a Saiyan wasn't hungry, there was something deathly wrong with him.

Gohan broke out of his thoughts and eagerly grabbed the curry rice. He coughed slightly at the spices, downing a cup of tea before attacking the egg rolls. Five disappeared into his stomach as he emptied the sushi into his mouth.

Chi-Chi was pouring more tea into Gohan's cup, watching her son carefully. She was sure that if Gohan was eating, all was well with her son. However, Chi-Chi couldn't be more wrong. With every beat of this young half-Saiyan's heart, his time on Earth shortened.

As soon as the massive amount of food was gone and into Gohan's stomach, he cleared the table, thanked his mother, and sped off to find Piccolo. _Hopefully, Piccolo has managed to convince Vegeta to join in. It'll be so much fun! I can't wait to spar with them. I'll get even stronger, too. I bet Dad would be proud of me. This is what he wanted, right?_

In the same spot as before, Piccolo was listening carefully to his young pupil's thoughts. He had sensed that something was off with Gohan recently, he just couldn't put his finger on it. He would bet that last night's odd behaviour had something to do with it. Piccolo did get the feeling that something was terribly wrong with his student.

 _He's just fighting for his father? Why not fight for himself?_ Piccolo sighed – sometimes, he figured that he would never understand the kid he devoted his life to protecting. Piccolo readied himself in his battle stance. His legs were apart, giving him a solid base to rely on if he were struck. His hands were apart, one near his head, and the other defending his middle. His fingers were splayed out, his eyes narrowed as he sensed the kid's Ki out.

As soon as Gohan appeared in the trees, Piccolo struck. He brought his left hand crashing down towards Gohan's jaw. Out of pure impulse, the Saiyan leaned backwards and quickly spun, launching his foot upwards, and catching Piccolo right in the chin. Piccolo's head flew back by the blow, his vision filled with stars.

"Oh, I'm really sorry Mister Piccolo!" Gohan rushed to his mentor and balanced Piccolo, his eyes brimming with slight tears. "It was a reflex shot, I really hope I didn't hurt you, oh please Mister Piccolo, please be okay! That was horrible of me, I'm a terrible person, are you okay, oh man oh man oh man-"

"Gohan. SHUT UP." Piccolo barked. His pupil gulped nervously and nodded, sniffing slightly. "I am FINE. It's better for you to have those sort of reflexes in a battle, but what's the point of them if you feel like you have to apologize every single time you hit someone? You're never going to be a good warrior with that kind of attitude." Piccolo raised a (nonexistent! Hah!) eyebrow at his pupil. "Understand?"

"Yes, Mister Piccolo." Gohan nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself. _I'm glad he's okay… I really thought that I had hurt him there!_ Gohan took his stance; a mirror image of Piccolo's. Gohan had picked up many things from Piccolo, and a fighting stance was one of them. His left arm was guarding his middle, his right by his head. Gohan was left-handed, so it was natural for him to use his left more dominantly.

"Oh, yeah! Did Vegeta end up coming over, Mister Piccolo?" Gohan asked. He lowered his guard slightly, thinking that a conversation wouldn't merit an attack.

"Didn't bother asking. We aren't going to until you learn to never drop your guard!" Piccolo yelled. His angry tone of voice caused Gohan to jump, dropping his guard completely. Piccolo took the advantage and rushed forwards, elbowing Gohan's heart area as hard as he could. Piccolo smirked as he watched his pupil fall to the ground. _That knucklehead will never learn, will he?_ Piccolo thought fondly.

Gohan landed painfully on the ground, but all he could register was the pain in his chest. The dust rose, obscuring his view of Piccolo, and Piccolo's view of him. Gohan writhed on the ground. It felt like someone had ripped a hole in his heart, right where Piccolo's elbow was. _Does he know?_ Gohan wondered to himself. He grabbed his shirt, moaning slightly. _No. If Piccolo knew, he'd have me on bed rest._

Gohan shook the pain off and waited for Piccolo's Ki to descend near the dust cloud. He could feel a slight worry from his mentor. Gohan grinned to himself, thinking he had the advantage, when he realized that Piccolo could hear his thoughts. Gohan gulped, then blasted off of the ground, trying to distract Piccolo before his mentor thought about it too much.

 _What does he mean by that?_ Piccolo's frown deepened. Gohan thought about something… something very wrong. _What does he know that I don't? What should I know? What is he hiding? And why would I put him on bed rest?_ as Piccolo was deep in thought, Gohan made his move. Quickly charging a Kamehameha, he launched it at Piccolo. The Namekian barely had time to dodge, the blast going right past his head.

Piccolo glared in Gohan's direction, excited at the prospect of a challenge. _Questions for later. Right now, I have some Saiyan butt to kick._ Piccolo thought, grinning to himself. He filed the strange behaviour of Gohan in the back of his mind for later, and focused on the spar itself. Piccolo dodged countless random shots. He realized what the point to the random aiming halfway through the attack.

Piccolo's eyes widened as the small, guided Ki orbs surrounded him. They dove inwards, heading for his body. Piccolo curled into the fetal position, arms protecting his head and the back of his neck. The blasts collided, exploding all over his body. His body jerked back and forth slightly, but Piccolo could tell that Gohan had minimal power hidden in these blasts; they were designed to distract, not harm.

Piccolo uncurled himself, throwing one of his green and pink arms up to block a punch from Gohan. The two were soon moving at speeds beyond what the human eye could see, blurs of their clothes only visible. For Gohan, it was a mix of black and white. For Piccolo, it was a mix of pink, green, and purple.

Gohan ducked under a kick (courtesy of our most favourite Namekian!) and flipped backwards, nailing Piccolo in the chin, one again. Piccolo recovered quickly and threw a punch at Gohan's throat, which the half-Saiyan caught. Gohan brought Piccolo towards him, Gohan's fist extended and headed for a collision course towards Piccolo's face.

Piccolo dodged to the right, bringing his knee up and nailing Gohan in the stomach. The eleven year old half-Saiyan coughed slightly, narrowing his eyes and bringing his elbow down on the side of Piccolo's head. Gohan hadn't transformed into a Super Saiyan yet – the boy and Piccolo were on about equal terms of speed and strength. This battle was mostly a contest of reflex and wit.

 _He stayed down longer than usual when I elbowed him in his heart area. Perhaps that is what he didn't want me to know about? Whatever it is, I'll try to strike there, then evaluate his thoughts and reaction._ Piccolo decided. He kicked back up into the air from off of the ground, small debris flying into the air.

Piccolo surprised Gohan by appearing right in front of him. Bringing both of his fists together, Piccolo smashed them into Gohan's heart area, yelling as he put all of his power behind the blow. Piccolo grinned and dove into Gohan's thoughts, trying to figure his student out.

However, Gohan had only one thought; pain. Intense, horrible pain. Like someone was squeezing his heart, ripping it to shreds. Piccolo's mind left Gohan's. He returned to his physical, watching as his student's face turn completely white. Gohan's normal complexion was slightly pale as it was, but now, it was ghost white and filled with pain. Gohan's dark eyes reflected the inner turmoil, his body tensed up. He cried out, more so than Piccolo had ever heard him scream before. He curled around his heart, his hand compressing his heart area as he screamed.

Piccolo had never seen Gohan like this before, watching his student succumb to gravity and fall to the ground. He only had one thought; _What have I done?_

Piccolo rushed forwards, catching his student before the boy hit the ground. Piccolo studied Gohan closely; even without a telepathic link, he could tell something was wrong. He laid Gohan on the cool stone ground around the waterfall, anxiously searching Gohan's thoughts. They were filled with pain and nothing else.

 _I went too far this time. But… why would Gohan refuse to tell me? What is wrong with him?_ Piccolo thought. He left Gohan to fight his own battles. Oh, how Piccolo wished he could aid his student – more like his son– in his battle, but there was absolutely nothing he could do. Just like how there was nothing he could do against Cell. But at least that battle, he could see happening, and understood what was going on!

After a few minutes, Gohan weakly sat up. He still clutched at his chest, breathing heavily. Sweat dripped off of his face. He felt hot, out of place. His forehead was burning up in a terrible fever. He could feel that something was wrong. He had a dull ache in his chest, one that ached with every beat of his heart. Gohan winced slightly, almost falling back. He nearly lost his balance before finding himself balanced by Piccolo.

"Thanks, Mister Piccolo." Gohan winced. He relaxed his grip on his chest, his hand falling to his lap as he managed to sit up by himself. Gohan looked down at the ground, nervously gulping and touching the tips of his pointer fingers together. "I guess that I have some explaining to do. What do you want to know, Mister Piccolo?" Gohan asked, refusing to meet his mentor's gaze.

"First off, what is going on with you?" Figuring that talking would be better than simply reading Gohan's mind, Piccolo shook his head and carried on the conversation with his pupil. He sat down, in front of Gohan, a serious look on his face. "Gohan, this looks an awful lot like the heart virus that…" Piccolo's eyes widened, his mouth falling open as he realized the truth of his own words.

"Yeah, the heart virus that my Dad had. I think I have it. It fits all the symptoms. Unfortunately, there isn't a cure. We used the last of it on Dad." Gohan cleared his throat nervously, meeting his mentor's gaze briefly before looking down again. "I…"

"Why did you tell me, Gohan?" Piccolo pleaded, shaking his head in denial. "I could have helped you! Why did you feel as if you needed to keep this a secret?" Piccolo asked, roughly. His own heart felt like it was being ripped to pieces. Here he was, losing his best friend, his student, and… his son. His son. His son was dying. Piccolo couldn't even form words for how scared he was, how absolutely terrified. Nothing had scared him like this – nothing. Until now.

"Well, I did just figure it out today. And I didn't want to worry anyone. Mom is having a baby, I don't want to add extra pressure on her! I just… wanted to keep everyone safe, Mister Piccolo. I thought that I could fight it. I thought I would be strong enough." the last two sentences that Gohan murmured were quieter than the rest of his little speech. He was staring at the ground again, as if the ground would swallow him up and he wouldn't need to have this conversation with Piccolo.

"Gohan. Is there medicine for the virus at your house?" Piccolo was grasping at straws. He swore, if there wasn't medicine, he'd threaten Bulma until she agreed to build him a time machine, then go to the future for some more medicine.

"No, we used it all up on Dad." Gohan said. His onyx eyes burned. The small boy hadn't quite realized what that meant yet. "I'm going to die, Mister Piccolo. Aren't I?" Gohan looked up at his mentor, taking a deep breath, his lip wobbling slightly.

"No. Don't you **ever** say that again, Gohan. You will **not** die. I will simply not allow it. We're going to Bulma's. Right now." Piccolo stood up, gathering his Ki. He watched his student float upwards, to stand beside him, before Piccolo shook his head.

"No, Gohan. I'll carry you. We are going to Bulma's to see if she has copied some of the heart medicine, or if she has a way to get some. No buts!" Piccolo yelled, seeing his student about to protest. "You cannot hide from this." Piccolo's arm went under Gohan's knees, knocking the half-Saiyan off of his feet. Piccolo blasted off, cradling Gohan against his chest. He looked down fearfully at his bright-eyed student, then narrowed his own eyes and focused all of his power into getting to Capsule Corp. as fast as possible.

"Well, well, we have the Namek. Oh, and the brat too. What do you want?" Vegeta snapped. He had broken the gravity machine again and was training in the gardens, glowering up at Piccolo and Gohan. He was in a very, very bad mood today. First, the woman yelled at him. Second, he was forced to take care of Trunks for six whole hours. Trunks whined and cried and Vegeta needed to feed him and change his diaper… baby Trunks did not like Vegeta very much.

"Out of my way, Vegeta. We need to see Bulma, fast." Piccolo's tone was clipped and curt. Unlike normal, he didn't have a slightly bored expression. Piccolo was worried enough about something, that it was making the Namek show emotion. That was enough to tell Vegeta that something was horribly, terribly wrong.

"What is it?" Vegeta opened the door to Capsule Corp. for Piccolo and Gohan, following Piccolo as the Namek did a mad-dash through the halls.

"Gohan has contracted the heart virus. The one that Goku had." Piccolo said. Worry had crept into his voice as he stopped, sensing Bulma's Ki. He locked onto his target, dashing left. He looked down, feeling Gohan squirm against his chest.

"What is it, Gohan?" Piccolo asked. His eyes widened as Gohan simply winced and grabbed at his heart area. Vegeta was beside Piccolo, staring at the young half-Saiyan as well. Gohan moaned slightly, curling in on himself. He was shaking from the attack, his body completely tense to try to deal with the pain.

"No…" Piccolo growled. He stopped in front of the thick, white doors that stood guarding the entrance to Bulma's lab. He growled at the passcode box, then proceeded to kick the doors open. They went flying back, crashing into the wall behind them.

"What the hell?" Bulma thundered. Clearly, she was not impressed. She stormed away from the project she was working on, glaring daggers at Piccolo and Vegeta. Her angry face froze at the sight of Gohan, her eyes widened and her mouth opening slightly. The blue-haired beauty shook her head in disbelief.

"It's not the heart virus… is it?" Bulma asked hesitantly. She looked up at Piccolo and Vegeta, both who merely nodded. "We have to help him!" Bulma said. "Oh…. I can try to make more the heart virus medicine, but I don't have any! Oh, this is bad…" Bulma started panicking, running her hands through her blue hair.

"Calm down, woman." Vegeta grabbed Bulma's hands to prevent her from ripping her hair out and hugged her. This was so unlike Vegeta that Bulma stopped panicking immediately, and was now hugging her Prince back.

"Just work as hard as you can to save the brat." Vegeta grumbled roughly, raising an eyebrow at his mate. "And work fast." Vegeta nodded, then took off in the direction of the infirmary. Piccolo followed, Gohan cradled against his chest like he was some sort of delicate, porcelain object. Then again, he was in a fairly delicate state.

"Right." Bulma whispered to herself. She went to follow them, then got an idea and grabbed all sorts of testing tools. She wanted to get a complete analysis of Gohan's condition so she could start on a cure. She made it to the infirmary, a little tired, but with a burning spirit to succeed in helping this small, helpless little boy. Bulma had basically watched Gohan grow up – after everything that he'd been through, it wasn't fair for him to just sit there and die. Bulma shook her head determinedly. No, she was going to save this kid if it was the last thing she did!

 _~Bulma is trying to come up with a cure for Gohan! Will she be able to make a strong enough one in time, or is Gohan receiving a one-way ticket to Otherworld? Find out, next time, on DBZ: Crossroads!~_

 **:DbzReach:**

Thank you for reviewing! I have fixed the mistake. As I said in the first chapter (added a little note to the bottom of it.) it appeared to have the necessary spaces in my e-mail, but they didn't translate to the writing. Please continue reading!

 **:flumf8188:**

Thank you for reviewing! I fixed the mistake and I really hope you'll continue reading.

 **:havarti2:**

Thank you for reviewing! Mistake fixed.

 **:daisukigohan:**

Thank you for reviewing! I will definitely continue this fanfiction. I'll try to update once a day.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note:**_

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing! Please continue to do so.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own DBZ! At all… one day, I shall own you, Gohan… :3

 **CHAPTER THREE:**

Vegeta opened the infirmary doors while Piccolo rushed in. The green-skinned Namekian was staring down at his pupil, his body tense and worried. Piccolo wasn't looking where he was going, and tripped over some sort of wire. Piccolo snarled and levitated himself with his Ki before he and Gohan collided with the ground.

Vegeta wasn't cruel enough to snicker. Yes, he had killed millions of people while under Frieza's control, but Vegeta had seen first-hand almost everything the Namekian had gone through. He knew how much Piccolo cared for Gohan, but Vegeta had never really seen the true extent of it. Piccolo had squared off against opponents much stronger than him; Nappa, Frieza, the Androids, Semi-Perfect Cell, the Cell Juniors… never had Piccolo looked this worried.

Piccolo laid Gohan on the nearest bed, watching Vegeta like a hawk as Vegeta hooked Gohan up to the heart monitor.

"This will tell us what how his heart is beating." Vegeta said evenly. He was very careful – one wrong, threatening move towards Gohan, and Piccolo would spring. "See the waves? Those tells us his heart is beating. If they stop, his heart has stopped breathing. A small Ki blast should be sufficient to get it moving again."

Piccolo merely grunted and sat down on a chair beside the infirmary bed. The bed's sheets were white, soft, and very fluffy. Gohan seemed to sink into the mattress, his small body cradled by the cushiony mattress. Next to the white sheets, pillow, and mattress, Gohan looked especially pale. Sweat dripped off of his face, said face twisted in agony. His right hand clutched at his chest, his other hand twisting the sheets beneath him.

Piccolo could only watch with an aching feeling in his own heart. He wanted to wish for… wish. Wish! _That's the answer!_ Piccolo burst out of the infirmary, running for Bulma's lab. He stepped carefully around the smoking, broken doors. Bulma looked up from where she was testing a substance.

"What is it, Piccolo? Can't you see that I'm-"

"Where's the dragon radar? We can wish away Gohan's disease! The Dragon Balls! If we can gather them in a day or so, then we can wish Gohan's illness away! Gohan is strong, so I'm sure he can hold on for the time it will take to gather the Dragon Balls." Piccolo said.

"That's a great idea!" Bulma cheered. "Here." she gave the radar to Piccolo. "Get Vegeta to gather the Dragon Balls. Someone has to stay with Gohan, and I need to work on a possible cure. There's almost a zero percent chance that I'll make it in time, but I have to try. Also, in case this happens again." Bulma said firmly. "If Vegeta has the audacity to refuse, tell him that it's gather the Dragon Balls, or no food for a whole twenty-four hours."

Piccolo nodded and left the lab, radar in his hand. As he turned, his white cape billowed out from behind him, twisting in the current of wind. He strode back into the infirmary, with long, purposeful strides. He entered the room, spotting Vegeta. Vegeta's back was to Piccolo, and the Saiyan was watching young Gohan carefully.

Piccolo tossed the radar at Vegeta's back, knowing full well that the Saiyan would catch it. Vegeta met Piccolo's expectations and caught the radar with one and without even looking. He brought it over to his face, trying to catch a glimpse of the object that was thrown at him. Vegeta took a good look at the radar and turned to face Piccolo, an eyebrow raised skeptically.

"And what is this?" Vegeta asked, his voice gruff. Vegeta had on his usual Saiyan suit – blue spandex body suit, with a white and gold chest and back armour. He had on white spandex gloves and white boots.

"We need you to find the Dragon Balls, and wish for Gohan's recovery." Piccolo said, just as gruff. However, his eyes danced with hope.

"Didn't we just use the Dragon Balls a week ago? To restore all the destruction Cell caused?" Vegeta asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Dende has the ability to restore the dragon's power. If the wish desired is of great importance, he will do as you ask." Piccolo snapped. He was quickly losing his patience. "If you fail to do as requested, Vegeta, Bulma has the threat of no food for an entire day hanging over your head."

This caused Vegeta's eyes to widen, his head snapping up to stare at Piccolo in horror. He stayed for a moment to check that the Namekian was serious. Upon realizing that the threat was indeed true, Vegeta powered up and blasted out the window, shattering the glass in the process. He started flying to the Lookout, flying faster than the human eye could see.

Piccolo watched him to for a moment, then turned to Gohan. Turned to the only real friend he'd ever had. Looking back on his relationship with the other Z Fighters, Piccolo knew that he just wasn't close to them. He didn't know them all that well, and he could pick up on the fact that he was still mistrusted.

Gohan had always accepted Piccolo for what he was; Gohan didn't know of Piccolo's past. Perhaps he did, but the boy had decided to judge Piccolo fairly. Gohan didn't allow Piccolo's past to interfere with how the half-Saiyan thought of Piccolo. Gohan took the good and the bad; Gohan made the good swell, and the bad shrink.

Piccolo would forever be grateful. Yet, there was nothing, absolutely nothing he could do to help his student, except watch Gohan writhe around in agony.

Gohan himself was in nothing but pain. Piccolo had focused in on Gohan's mind. Gohan's world was full of blackness, the occasional thought passing through his mind. The thoughts were mostly comprised of Gohan hearing bits and pieces of the conversations taking place around the half-Saiyan.

Suddenly, Gohan's world erupted in pain. On the outside, Gohan screamed and thrashed, clutching at his chest in agony. Piccolo wet a cloth with cold water, lying it on Gohan's forehead. The cloth was soon warm to the touch from the heat of Gohan's fever. Piccolo could only hold his pupil's hand. Soon, Gohan was crushing Piccolo's hand from his own grip.

 _Gohan, I am so sorry I am not able to do more._ Piccolo stroked the back of Gohan's hand with his thumb lovingly. _You're so much more than a pupil, Gohan. You're my best friend… no, you are more than even that. Piccolo smiled down at Gohan. You are my son, Gohan. You are my son._

"M… Mister… P-Piccolo?" Gohan's shaky voice almost made Piccolo jump. He looked down at young Gohan as the boy cracked one eye open and stared at him with glazed, dull eyes.

"It… it hurts, Mister Piccolo. I d-didn't think it w-would h… hurt this much." Gohan winced and grabbed at his chest, arching his back and almost crushing the bones in Piccolo's hand. Gohan could feel Piccolo repair the bones on his hand. He could feel Piccolo's course, leathery skin against his own soft hand.

"It's okay, Gohan. You're alright. You'll survive. Be strong, Gohan. Be strong." Piccolo turned the cool cloth on Gohan's forehead, frowning at the awful increased temperature of Gohan's forehead.

"I-I'll try, Mister Piccolo. I'll try…" Gohan faded into unconsciousness again, his grip relaxing slightly. Piccolo smiled down at Gohan as the half-Saiyan's eyes closed. Piccolo could only stroke Gohan's hand and hope that he was offering some sort of comfort for his pupil.

"Just hang in there, Gohan." Piccolo murmured. "If Dende accepts our wish, and Vegeta can gather the Dragon Balls in time, we can save you. Don't you die on me yet, Gohan. You're stronger than that." Piccolo gripped Gohan's hand. He smiled gently as he ran his hand through Gohan's silky, strong hair, and rested it on Gohan's head. He used to do this when Gohan was younger; he'd always remember the feel of Gohan's hair through his hand, and how happy the boy had been over something so minuscule.

 **(on the Lookout)**

Vegeta was approaching the Lookout, Dragon Ball radar in hand. He flew up, passing Korin's tower and continued up, eyes narrowed against the wind. He powered down slightly, his aura fading, as he landed on the tiled Lookout floor. Vegeta stuffed his hands in his pockets while he waited for Dende or Mr. Popo.

Soon, the ebony black… thing. Seriously, what is Mr. Popo? Vegeta wrinkled his lip slightly, and shifted his weight.

"I need to speak to Dende." he said gruffly. The Lookout looked the same as it always did. Soon, there were footsteps behind Mr. Popo.

"Oh, hello there, Vegeta!" Dende smiled as he stood beside Mr. Popo. "What brings you to the Lookout today?"

"Gohan has caught the heart virus that nearly killed Goku." Vegeta wasted no time in his explanation. Dende's eyes widened with horror, a look of disbelief in his eyes. It turned from disbelief and grief, Dende shaking his head, tears already forming. Mr. Popo was murmuring "Oh Gohan..." over and over while shaking his head.

"We need you to unlock the Dragon Balls." Vegeta continued, being completely insensitive to the emotion that was displayed. "Then we can gather the Dragon Balls and wish for Gohan's recovery."

Dende's head snapped up, hope filling his eyes again.

"Of course!" Dende cried. "I'll go unlock the dragon right now. This isn't just about me and my relationships. Gohan is a strong fighter who is determined to save innocent people. It would be very bad if he died." Dende ran towards the circular Lookout building, entering the room and turning right.

Vegeta turned the Dragon Ball radar on, tapping his foot impatiently. There was a burst of golden light at the right end of the Lookout's main building. Soon, the Dragon Balls began showing up on the radar. Bingo. _Now the Namekian can get off my back! And, even more important, I will get food._

Vegeta flew off of the Lookout without another word.

"Vegeta, I-" Dende ran over, pausing when he realized that Vegeta was gone. He raised an eyebrow at Mr. Popo, who merely shrugged. "Huh. Well, he's gone. I'm going to go see how Gohan's doing." Dende took his desired place on the Lookout's edge, concentrating hard.

After a moment, Dende smiled and started a running commentary for Mr. Popo.

"Piccolo is with Gohan. Right now, Gohan seems to be resting. They're in Capsule Corp. Bulma is trying to work on medicine to keep the disease at bay, and Piccolo is simply there to comfort Gohan. I really hope Gohan pulls through on this one, Mr. Popo. I really hope so." Dende smiled at the thought of his friend.

 **(somewhere… oh man. Where is he? Who knows – we're following Veggie now!)**

Vegeta was flying over one of the oceans of the world, paying attention to the dragon radar only. He stopped midair, staring down. A couple miles under the sea – that's where one of the Dragon Balls was. He pulled at one of the pockets on his spandex, putting the radar in there. Vegeta grinned and dove down into the water.

He could hold his breath for very long periods of him, so this Saiyan was all set for getting his meals tomorrow. He reached the bottom and grabbed the Dragon Ball; the four star ball. Vegeta had never really been sure exactly why Goku was obsessed about the four star ball, but you know: Go figure that he found it first.

Vegeta tucked the ball under his arm and started wishing he had brought some sort of bag with him. Suddenly, something sharp poked at Vegeta's back. He tried twisting around to see what it was, be he was only lifted towards the surface of the water. Vegeta was glaring at whoever had snagged him with their fishing line. It was a bunch of stupid teenagers who thought that it was a great idea to try to fish him out.

The teens broke into laughter, but they weren't laughing long. Vegeta snapped the fishing line and removed the hook. He threw it, catching the fabric of the leader's shoulder and pinning the guy to a picnic bench that had been laid out on the beach. The laughter stopped immediately. Vegeta glared at everyone, until he realized that the one kid had a brown satchel bag – perfect for the Dragon Balls.

Vegeta took the bag and flew off. The kids were staring at him open mouthed and he smirked. _Low class wretches._ Vegeta grumbled. He took off, heading for the next Dragon Ball. On the way, Vegeta put the four star ball in the bag, then blasted off.

 **(Jeez we're all over the place! And we are also back to Capsule Corp.)**

Piccolo held on tighter to Gohan's hand, seeing the boy squirm and cry out. Gohan was full-out screaming a couple minutes ago, and Piccolo would take what he could get at this point. Piccolo frowned and reached behind himself, grabbing a glass of water. Piccolo brought the glass near Gohan's face, pressing a straw into Gohan's lips.

"Come on, Gohan. Drink something." Piccolo encouraged. Gohan, after discovering that the straw well… was a straw and let him drink water, Gohan started sucking down as much water as possible.

"There, you'll feel a little better now." Piccolo said, making sure that nothing was spilled. Soon, the glass was empty. Gohan went back to screaming and crying, but he didn't need anymore water as of yet. Piccolo smiled and out the glass back on the small table behind him. The Namekian had to repair his bones six times from Gohan's grip. It hurt, but it was offering Gohan comfort. That's what Piccolo was here for.

Piccolo's brow furrowed at Gohan's wincing. Soon, without any warning, the half-Saiyan boy started screaming, breaking all the bones in Piccolo's hand. Gohan clutched at his chest, screamed in agony. His face was twisted up, his fever burning.

Piccolo repaired the bones in his hand yet again, hoping with all this heart that Gohan could survive this battle.

"Just a little longer, Gohan. Vegeta's on his way with the Dragon Balls…"

 _~Things are worse for Gohan! Will Vegeta make it in time to save him, or is it too late? Find out, next time, on DBZ: Crossroads!~_

 **DbzReach:**

Yup, Gohan is basically dead. Thanks for reviewing!

 **daisukigohan:**

Yup! Gohan will find Goku, and then I'll return to the Majin Buu saga. Thanks for reviewing!

 **Lightningblade49:**

Gohan will be participating in the tournament, yuppers! Thanks for reviewing!


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:**_

After receiving several delightful comments and one death threat, here's the new chapter! XD

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own DBZ! I seriously wish I did though…

 **CHAPTER FOUR:**

Chi-Chi was pacing in her living room. Gohan had gone off to train with that horrible green monster, Piccolo, and he still hadn't come home! It was five thirty six; Gohan should have been home six minutes ago. Six whole minutes. Gohan was never late. But he was today.

Chi-Chi wrung her hands around a blanket nervously. _If that horrible Piccolo has done anything to hurt my little boy, I'll kill him. I'll throw him right down to hell where he belongs, and then Goku can go and kick his butt for daring to harm Mommy's little boy!_ Chi-Chi ripped the blanket, scowling fiercely.

She had no idea that her son was struggling against the heart disease. She had no clue. Chi-Chi simply hated Piccolo because the monster stole her Gohan when he was four and took him away for a whole year. To a mother, that was the worst kind of betrayal. Her baby boy had started growing up without her; and she couldn't forgive Piccolo for that.

Chi-Chi out a hand over her stomach absently, knowing full well that a baby was in there. She could only hope that her newest child would be a scholar and not a fighter like Gohan. If she kept Gohan studying, then he wouldn't be in danger. As crazy as it sounded, Chi-Chi didn't have the greater good in mind when it came to her baby boy. As far as she was concerned, the universe could blow up as long as her Gohan had no part in the fighting!

Chi-Chi could only hope that he'd return home soon. She sighed softly, sitting down on the couch and putting her face in her hands. Not too much had gone right today. There were still tons of dishes on the counter for Chi-Chi to clean. Both lunch and breakfasts dishes. Her life consisted of dishes, cooking, and Gohan's studying. That was it. Gohan and Goku had already proven, without a doubt, that neither of them could cook to save their lives. As such, the responsibility fell to Chi-Chi.

Chi-Chi took on a more determined stance. She was going to clean this house up. When Gohan arrived home, she would scold him for being late, then she would send him to dinner. As Chi-Chi reached the kitchen, the phone started ringing.

Chi-Chi had decided to get a phone in case something happened and she needed to know about it. She had realized how difficult it was to contact her, so, she bought a phone. It was black, on a cord attached to the wall. She picked up and brought the phone to her ear. The plastic was cool against her skin.

"Hello?" Chi-Chi said. "Son residence here, how may I help you?" she asked pleasantly, blinking in confusion.

"It's Bulma. We need to talk, Chi-Chi." Bulma's voice sounded on the other end of the phone. Bulma sounded worried, and nervous about something. Chi-Chi decided to ask about it later and just carry on.

"Oh, Bulma! Do you know where Gohan is? He's late for dinner!" Chi-Chi scowled slightly, shifting the phone so she could use both hands to wash the dishes.

"Well, about that…" Bulma gulped nervously.

"My goodness! Please tell me he's alright!" Chi-Chi dropped the dish in her hand, it shattering against the tiled floor.

"Oh man… this is difficult…" Bulma muttered. She took a deep breath and spoke quickly. "Gohan got the heart disease. He was attacked by it when he was training with Piccolo, he's with us now and we're trying to cure him. I'm working on a medicine cure, Vegeta's off looking for the Dragon Balls, and Piccolo's with Gohan."

Chi-Chi could barely move. She couldn't even think. She was just… frozen.

"Chi-Chi?" Bulma asked. Soon, a thump was heard and the phone line disconnected.

"Huh." Bulma looked down at the phone in her hands. "Well, Chi-Chi just fainted." Bulma blinked at the phone.

"DAD!" Bulma yelled. She knew that Piccolo would probably yell at her for making such a racket in the house when Gohan was so sick, but she didn't care.

"WHAT?!" her father demanded. Mr. Briefs was busy working on a new project; and he didn't want to be interrupted.

"Go pick up Chi-Chi; she just fainted!" Bulma yelled

"I'm busy! You go do it!"

"Dad, you're working on a project to feed your ego! I am working on something to save Gohan's-"

" **Would you two shut up for five bloody minutes? It's enough that Gohan is screaming but I don't need either of you screeching at each other! Go pick up the damn woman or stay where you are, I really don't care! If I have to go down there and SHUT YOU UP, you will not like the consequences!** " It was Piccolo, bellowing at the top of his lungs. Both Bulma and her father shut up, Mr. Briefs silently heading to go pick up Chi-Chi.

Piccolo growled in fury, turning his attention back to his sick student. Gohan had crushed his hand so many times that he had lost count. The boy was constantly screaming, clutching at his chest, his world full of pain.

No amount of pain could even compare to how Piccolo was beating himself up inside. He wanted so desperately to help Gohan, yet he was unable to do anything. The small boy was almost completely out of his reach. If there was something, anything Piccolo could have done, he would have already done it.

There was a small bowl of stew on the night-table next to Gohan's bed. A spoon was beside it, and a glass of water completed the meal. Piccolo had seen Gohan make stew once when they were training together. It didn't seem too difficult, so Piccolo had tried it. Just put water in and grow in some meat and vegetables, right?

He hoped he was right. Piccolo didn't have a good sense of what humans liked it eat and what they didn't. As a result, he wasn't sure if he cooked it properly. He wasn't going to try it though. The stupid black cat that Mr. Briefs owned had hissed at him and his stew while he made it.

Cats are cats, not humans. Stupid cat. Piccolo grumbled. He glanced over at Gohan; the small boy had melted the ice pack on his forehead. Piccolo turned the ice pack over so that Gohan could have some coolness on his burning forehead. The boy's fever was at a very high temperature, making the child sweat and twist around in his unconscious state.

Gohan's face and skin was pale, sweat dripping off his face. The boy had seemed to shrink even more than normal over the course of several hours. He was breathing heavily. Piccolo assumed that Gohan's hand would be crushing the bedsheets instead of his hand had Piccolo not allowed Gohan to hold it.

Piccolo's stomach was a knot of fear and worry for his eleven-year-old student. In his head, Piccolo was cursing Goku over and over again for being a bad father. What a legacy to leave to his son. Gohan, ever since he was four, had been used as a weapon against the evils of his world. And while it was necessary, it still wasn't fair.

Piccolo had a part to play in that; he had, after all, been the first person to push Gohan. He was the first to train Gohan as a weapon. But all that came after that… that was on Goku. Allowing his five year old son to go off to a strange planet without him.

Leaving the child alone for all those years.

Instead of rushing to save his son from Frieza, allowed Frieza to reach Earth before him, when he knew that Gohan couldn't handle such a foe.

And the worst of all his crimes; forcing Gohan to fight Cell. Now, a disease that Goku had caught, was now attacking Gohan. Not Goku's direct fault, but the blame still fell on the Earth-raised Saiyan.

 _No, not just attacking._ Piccolo thought. _Killing. This disease is killing Gohan._ Piccolo could feel Gohan's heart, almost as well as he could feel his own. And Gohan was failing. Even with all his Ascended Super Saiyan power, Gohan couldn't defeat an enemy that came from inside. Inside his heart, to be precise.

Piccolo's face twisted into a violent scowl. _I swear, if Gohan dies of this, I am going to rip out both Vegeta's and Goku's throats! Goku for passing this disease on, and Vegeta for failing to gather the Dragon Balls in time. Then, I'll wish Gohan back and leave those two rotting in the Home for Infinite Losers; HFIL. Otherwise known as Hell._

Piccolo sensed out Gohan's thoughts. The boy was focusing solely on fighting the disease, but he was beginning to think that he wasn't able to beat it. Gohan had gotten much weaker through the hours. He fought less. He breathed less. And with every passing minute, his heart beat less.

Piccolo hated this room already. It was white and completely clean. There was no life or any sort of sense of home to it. Just a bed, a sink with some cupboards, a night-table, and a window. It was awful. It had smelled like a hospital when he had come in with Gohan.

"C'mon, kid. You can do this. You're strong, brave, and… and… this disease shouldn't kill you if it didn't kill your father!" Piccolo closed his eyes, unsure of what to say for the moment. He took a deep breath, then continued.

"We need you here in this world, kid. And if we have to use one wish on those stupid Dragon Balls to bring you back, so be it. I don't even care if I have to go down to Otherworld myself and fetch you; it's happening, kid. I may not be the best guy in the world, but you still showed me the light in the darkness." Piccolo grumbled. He wasn't speaking very loudly; unless one of those stupid humans (or Saiyans, for that matter!) were sitting outside the door right now, no one would be able to hear him.

"Oh ho ho!" an assistant of Mr. Briefs was laughing as she watched and listened to the lovely conversation in the infirmary. They had several cameras and microphones set up to catch Piccolo being a softie. They had succeeded. The assistant brought her walkie talkie out and pressed the button.

"Hello, Mr. Briefs, sir? Good news; the cat is in the bag. I repeat, the cat is in the bag." she smirked.

"Bwahahahaha!" Mr. Briefs started laughing. He was almost to Chi-Chi's house, flying the plane. "TV gold, my lady, TV gold." Mr. Briefs chuckled evilly, shaking his head and grinning like a madman.

Vegetable had collected the four star ball, the six star ball, the seven star ball, the three star ball, and the one star ball. Just two more to go; the two star ball, and the five star ball. He had thrown them into the satchel-thing (he refused to call it a purse.) and was now flying across another ocean.

Vegeta was pretty sure that he was in France right now, because everyone was speaking a language unfamiliar to his ears and there was a giant tower which people flocked to. Speaking of which, the Dragon Radar pointed to the tower and said that one of the Dragon Balls was there.

Refusing to waste any more time, Vegeta landed on the tower. As he landed, his stomach gave a large and audible growl. Vegeta checked the time and… uh, used some very colourful language to describe how he was feeling.

"That darn woman! If she wasn't making me chase after these stupid balls, I would be eating my dinner right now." Vegeta grumbled. He growled again, quickly running around the Eiffel Tower, trying to track the location. He bumped into a group of tourists; one of the ladies had a necklace with the Dragon Ball on it.

Vegeta approached the group. The lady turned and smirked at him. Vegeta swallowed nervously; only Bulma had given him that look before. Before she could get too close, Vegeta ran behind her and chopped the back of her neck, effectively knocking her out.

Vegeta breathed a sigh of relief, the rest of the group screaming and running around in stupid circles. Vegeta removed the Dragon Ball from the necklace and allowed some of the disgust that had built up in his stomach to dissipate.

Vegeta looked the orange and red ball over; the two star ball. He flew off of the tower, clicking the radar to see where the next Dragon Ball was located. Scowling at the distance, Vegeta powered up and blasted off, a shockwave rippling off his body and shaking the air around him. Within a few minutes, Vegeta has arrived at his destination; the North Pole.

It was incredibly cold. Vegeta glared at the radar as he shivered. In his head, he was complaining about missing his dinner. Vegeta glanced over at a strange noise, seeing a seal sitting there and clapping at him, making that odd noise again. It dove down into the water. The radar beeped, and Vegeta looked down to peer at it.

The Dragon Ball was on the move, heading closer to him. Vegeta looked in the direction the radar had pointed him to and came face-to-face with a snowy white, gigantic, nearly extinct, polar bear. Vegeta raised an eyebrow; he had never seen a creature like this before.

Before Vegeta could decide that he liked the beast, it roared in his face, showing off his massive, wicked sharp teeth. Vegeta glared at it, deciding that he hated it. The polar bear went to swipe at him with it's massive paws, but Vegeta grabbed the paw, stopping the bear in it's tracks.

It looked on, confused as Vegeta glanced at the radar.

"So, big guy, swallowed the Dragon Ball, did we?" Vegeta smirked, pulling the bear's paw aside. "That's fine by me." Vegeta flicked the bear in the nose, sending his Ki into the polar bear's body, effectively frying the nerves and killing it.

Vegeta used his Ki to create a sharp sword on his hand, slicing the bear's stomach open. He reached in among the guts and gore, and picked the bloody Dragon Ball up. Vegeta washed his arm and the Dragon Ball off in the hole he had seen the seal disappear down, and stood up; putting the ball away. With that, Vegeta blasted off for home.

In five minutes, he was back in Japan, at the front doors of Capsule Corp.

"I have returned with the Dragon Balls." Vegeta said, sounding slightly bored. The house exploded into activity. Bulma raced out of the house, kissed Vegeta on the cheek, then grabbed the Dragon Balls and threw them on the ground. Piccolo came running after her, the frail and weakened Gohan in this arms. He laid Gohan on the ground.

"Summon it, summon it, summon it, summon it!" Piccolo chanted, worry in every bit of his body.

"Arise, dragon! By your name I call your forth; Shenron!" Bulma cried. Soon, the sky turned black, lightning leaving the sky and slamming into the ground below. The Dragon Balls glowed, the yellow light expanding into the massive form of Shenron. The green dragon curled around the sky, constantly moving.

"Why have you summoned me?" The dragon rumbled. "I will grant you two wishes."

"This is it, guys." Bulma smiled at her companions. "We wish for Gohan to lose the heart virus!" Bulma cried, throwing her hands in the air.

The dragon's red eyes glowed. Under the glare, Gohan had a moment of peace. He looked over at his mentor, smiling softly.

"Bye Mr Piccolo… sorry I wasn't strong enough…" Gohan mumbled. He took his last breath, thought his last thought, and his heart beat for the last time. Gohan's spirit slipped off into Otherworld.

"I cannot grant this wish." Shenron rumbled.

 _~Well, that just happened! Will Gohan be wished back to life? Find out next time, on DBZ: Crossroads!~_

 **DbzReach:**

Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, I have no clue either.

 **ColdRelief:**

Thanks for reviewing! And yes, Piccolo really is. They just told Chi-Chi… oh man… XD

 **daisukigohan:**

Thanks for reviewing, and thank you so much for the nice comments! :3

 **jarretpigsonftw:**

Thanks for reviewing! And my, what profanity! XD

Yes, I shall continue this.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:**_

Thanks for reviewing everyone! Keep it up! :3

Sorry that this took so long… I am seriously going to try and make it on time. Hm… no promises. So, I've had this new idea. After this fanfic and my other one, once I finish those, I was going to do a rewrite of DBZ. It would start at the end of DB, when Goku proposes to Chi-Chi. Kami, King Kai, and the Supreme Kai are all there at the Lookout, waiting for Goku. They tell Goku of his origins and warn him about a half human, half Saiyan child that will either save or destroy the universe. They warn him not to have a child. When Goku accidentally (he didn't know it would make a child) gets Chi-Chi pregnant, he wrestles with himself about killing the kid. Chi-Chi learns about the warning and when Gohan is born, she leaves him in the forest and says that he was stillborn. Piccolo finds and raises Gohan. It would go through all the sagas, alternating between Piccolo, Krillin, Goku, and Gohan as they discover Gohan's true power. How's that sound?

 **Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ, at all.**

 **CHAPTER FIVE:**

"What do you…" Piccolo trailed off as he looked down at Gohan. The boy's eyes were glazed over, his muscles were relaxed. His chest wasn't moving; and Piccolo's sensitive ears had picked up on the silence from Gohan's heart.

Piccolo was speechless. He thought that the dragon could undo the disease, and all would be well again. Unfortunately, that wasn't to be the case. Piccolo groaned and fell to his knees, hiding his face in his hands. He didn't touch or go near Gohan's body; it had already started to smell like death, the sweet woodsy scent of his beloved student fading.

As Piccolo grieved, Vegeta stepped up to the plate. He had a determined going in his eye.

"Are you able to revive the brat?" Vegeta asked the dragon.

"I am unable to do so." Shenron rumbled. "Son Gohan died a natural death. Therefore, his death is permanent."

"You cannot do anything about it?" Vegeta stood his ground and glared straight at the dragon, his arms crossed.

"No." the dragon replied.

"Fine then. You are useless to us. You have been dismissed." Vegeta growled. He turned around to the other Z Fighters who were staring at the dragon, open-mouthed.

Soon, the dragon disappeared from the world, the Dragon Balls scattering.

"Well, that was a waste of time." Vegeta snorted in annoyance. He was actually trying to cover up his true feelings; he was feeling guilty about Gohan's death. Had he not wasted any time, Gohan would be alive and on his way to a healthy recovery by now. Vegeta had learned to respect the half-Saiyan. By no means did he love Gohan to bits like Piccolo did, but he could tolerate Gohan's presence more than the stupid human Yamcha.

Krillin shook his head in disbelief, his mouth wide open.

"W…wow. I can't believe he's gone. Just like Goku…"

The Z Fighters all bowed their heads in remembrance of the fallen warrior. Finally, Yamch spoke up.

"So, guys… who's going to tell Chi-Chi?"

(in Otherworld)

Gohan suddenly found himself at the back of a very long line. He blinked slightly, his vision adjusting to the new place. It was bright and sunny, with yellow clouds all around. He turned his head around before finally resting his gaze on the line itself. Everyone was a puff of white smoke! No, that was just their legs. Their upper body was human enough.

Gohan was jolted forwards; he gulped and almost tripped, walking with the line. He looked around in wonder. In the distance was a white and red palace, with a sign that said 'Wellcome'. Gohan giggled slightly at the meaning, then looked down at himself to see if he was a puff of white smoke too.

Nope, still has his legs. I guess I got to keep my body. Neat! Gohan smiled at his clothes. He was in the purple gi that favoured Piccolo's style. It had Piccolo's demon king symbol on the back. He had blue wristbands and a blue sash around his waist. He also had on the weighted shoulder pads, along with the white cape trailing behind him.

Gohan ignored the ogres who were screeching and focused on the palace itself. As Gohan entered the palace, he gasped at the giant pink… demon? Sitting at a huge desk. Each soul was judged and sent to either Heaven or Hell.

Gohan approached the desk calmly.

"Son Gohan!" King Yemma looked down at the small boy in front of him. "Would you happen to be related to Son Goku, by any chance?"

"Yeah! He's my Dad! Oh, uh, sir." Gohan bowed in respect.

"My my, what good manners. More than your father!" King Yemma huffed. "Well, you certainly have a wonderful record. You can go up to Heaven." King Yemma went to go and stamp Gohan's file.

"Um, excuse me, sir!" Gohan said, bowing once more. "Is my father in Heaven, sir?"

"No, he's in Otherworld training with the Kai's. Why?" King Yemma asked.

"I would like to be sent to my Father, if I may, sir. I would love to be able to see him again. If that is not possible due to my record being inadequate, I understand." Gohan smiled sadly, sadness settling in the pit of his stomach.

"No, no, my boy." King Yemma flipped through Gohan's record once more. "Your record is quite adequate to be sent to the Grand Kai's planet." King Yemma smiled down at the small boy. Gohan had clearly gone through much in life, and now he was finally being given a chance to be with his father for eternity.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" King Yemma couldn't help but smile at Gohan's face; pure joy was radiating from it. The half-Saiyan seemed like a beacon of hope and light at that moment.

"Yes, please, sir!" Gohan bowed, biting his lip slightly to conceal his infectious grin. King Yemma nodded and reached down, handing Gohan a small slip of paper. Gohan looked down at it. It was white, with a red stripe at the top, and a red stripe at the bottom.

It read 'One Way Ticket to the Planet of the Grand Kai'. Below that was some characters that Gohan didn't recognize, and his own personal information, along with a picture of him. Gohan looked curiously up at King Yemma.

"Excuse me sir, is this my passport?" Gohan looked down at the paper again. "And ticket?"

"Yes it is!" King Yemma grinned proudly. "Don't loose it! I'll have an ogre drive you over to the planes. I don't always just zap people places, you know! Those who go the Hell as usually zapped. The people in Heaven occasionally get a plane ride up top, and those who wish to go to the Grand Kai's planet, yes, you do get a plane ride."

"Sir, if it's too much trouble, I can fly myself!" Gohan levitated himself in the air to prove his point. The other spirits fell silent, open-mouthed staring at the floating boy.

"I am aware of that, just go on the plane." King Yemma waved Gohan off. "MOOSHI!" King Yemma bellowed. Gohan and the other spirits covered their ears and winced as the palace shook from King Yemma's enormous voice.

What the heck is that? Gohan gaped in amazement as a strange creature flew into view. It looked like an imp crossed with a dragon; green skinned, warty, with an unpleasant face, and a really big nose. It also had a pair of bat wings and spines down it's back. It's eyes were pure black and beady. It looked like the kind of creatures witches would think was cute!

"What?" Mooshi put his hands on his hips and glared at King Yemma.

"Gohan, meet your personal assistant; Mooshi. Mooshi, this is your assignment." King Yemma cleared his throat and watched Mooshi expectantly.

"I finally get an assingment!" Mooshi looked Gohan over with excitement and flew up to Yemma. "Can I read his file?" Mooshi asked, tentatively reaching his hand out to the papers.

"Sure." King Yemma handed Mooshi the file on Gohan. Quickly, Mooshi scanned it. He was almost cackling out loud in delight. This is amazing! Not only do I get my first assignment, but this guy is incredible! He's… only eleven. Mooshi looked up from the papers to study Gohan with pity in this eyes. Eleven and forced into all of that saving the world stuff. Poor kid. I'll have to be really nice to him! Ooh, this is so exciting! It isn't every day that a lowlife servant of King Yemma, like myself, gets to be an assistant to a person who's helped save his own planet twice, saved his planet almost single-handedly once, helped save another planet once, and who's the son of the great Goku!

Mooshi cleared his throat and bowed in Gohan's direction.

"It will be an honour to be your assistant!" Mooshi cried, barely able to contain himself. From the sidelines, the other ogres and imps were watching with pure jealousy in their eyes.

"Now, Gohan," King Yemma started. Upon hearing his name, Gohan looked up and blinked curiously at the pink giant. "Mooshi is your assistant. Because of your age and record, Mooshi will help you with navigating the Otherworld. He is a magic user. You should ask him one day about what sort of magic he does. Mooshi is supposed to listen to you at all times, unless your life is in danger and he must intervene. I would prefer that you treat Mooshi as a friend, not a slave."

"Of course, sir!" Gohan bowed and smiled at King Yemma. He then turned to and bowed to Mooshi. "I'm honoured to have you helping me!" Gohan grinned. He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck, in the familiar Son gesture.

"Oh, you're very welcome!" Mooshi grinned back. This would be the best. Assignment. Ever!

"Hey, what kind of magic do you do, Mooshi?" Gohan asked curiously.

Mooshi puffed up his chest in pride. "Mostly support magic. I'm not a fighter. I can heal small wounds, restore energy, -depending on how much energy has to be restored, of course. – teleport myself and others, and I can open these little pockets in space and time and store stuff in there! Then I can reopen them and take it all out again!" Mooshi grinned with pride, his eyes sparkling.

"Wow, that's incredible!" Gohan cried. He clapped his hands in delight. "What sort of stuff do you store in those little pockets, Mooshi?"

"I store a whole bunch of stuff! Snacks for me, snacks for humans, some entertainment… if you know what I mean." Mooshi wriggled his eyebrows suggestively before continuing. "Um… oh! I have a couple different foods that work like a Senzu Bean. They taste real bad, though. I also have swords and shields, though I doubt you'd need those… I have a working wifi router! And some phones!"

"How did you manage to collect all that stuff?" Gohan was amazed at the sheer amount of useful stuff Mooshi had.

"Oh, I just grabbed it here and there." Mooshi raised his hand and drew a line across his throat. Gohan understood instantly; Mooshi would tell him later. Gohan simply nodded and continued the discussion.

"So, do you teleport us to the Grand Kai's planet or do we go on a plane?" Gohan asked politely. "I'm not sure that I understand why I cannot simply fly us there."

"Well, Gohan, there are specific defences around Otherworld to prevent souls from leaving their realm and entering another." King Yemma explained. "Everyone wants to be on the Grand Kai's planet; you keep your body, there's actual houses, and it's a very nice place to be. Where would we be if some of your old enemies from HFIL (Home For Infinite Losers – Hell) managed to escape and run to Otherworld?" King Yemma raised an eyebrow at Gohan.

"It wouldn't be pretty." King Yemma continued. "Such barriers would blow you out of the sky, and send you straight through the clouds and down to HFIL. (Home for Infinite Losers – Hell) Do you understand now?"

"Yes, sir." Gohan bowed.

"Very good. Mooshi, lead Gohan to the plane and go to the Grand Kai's planet. And no funny business while you're out there, understand me?!" King Yemma glared down at Mooshi. The imp-like creature was busy looking through a magazine he had stored in one of his pockets.

"Yeah, yeah." Mooshi snapped his fingers, opening the pocket and throwing the magazine in there. He started flying off, using his stubby little bat wings, towards the plane that would take him and Goha to the Grand Kai's planet.

"This way. Follow me, Mr. Son!" Mooshi said, glancing behind him at the black-haired boy.

"Oh, sorry!" Gohan ran to catch up with Mooshi. "And please call me Gohan. Mr. Son is so formal. If we're going to be friends, we need to be on a first name basis, don't you agree?" Gohan asked, looking over at Mooshi.

The imp's face was shining, almost giving off light. Mooshi cracked into an enormous grin

"Of course, Gohan! Right this way!" Mooshi flew at top speeds towards the airport, Marcelo g at Gohan easily keeping pace with him without breaking a sweat.

~First to the Grand Kai's planet, then to Goku! Will the father-son reunion happen next chapter? I don't know, have you check my planner… find out next time, on DBZ: Crossroads!~

DbzReach:

Thanks for reviewing! And yup; Gohan stays where he is.

Animefangirl365:

Poor Gohan indeed! Alas, thanks for reviewing!

anonymous:

Thank you for reviewing! Okay, so, I know that Mystic Gohan is not below SSJ3, Mystic Gohan is above SSJ3. Yes, Gohan will get his Mystic form via training, but I was also planning for him to get SSJ3 and SSJ4 as well. Same with Goku, and perhaps Vegeta.

Son of Whitebeard:

Thank you for reviewing!


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note:**_  
Hey guys! So, what'd you think of the idea for the new fanfic? Sound cool? Please review and tell me what you think! Updates will slow down because of school. I have swim team Monday, tutoring a girl in my class and horseback riding Tuesday, Film Club Wednesday, Thursday I'm free, swim team on Friday, and volunteering on Saturday. Sunday is also free, thank goodness.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own DBZ.

 **CHAPTER SIX:**  
Gohan and Mooshi arrived at the airport. It was super busy. Cloud-like souls floated everywhere that it was possible, either bawling or chatting pleasantly. The balling ones were holding onto their suitcases while the ogres tried to take the belongings away, and the chatting ones had tickets straight up. Unfortunately, most souls were on the plane ride straight to HFIL. (Home for Infinite Losers = Hell)

"Cheery place." Gohan said, taking a good look around. The yellow fluffy clouds were all around them at this point. Half of the large airport was the red landing and green taking off pads for the planes. A quarter of it was boarding onto the planes, and the other quarter was for people to hang out, chat, or grab some food. The food places were white with red designs.

The planes, depending on where you were going, were different colours. The HFIL plane was red with black lettering, and black borders around the doors and windows. The lettering said "HFIL". The Heaven plane was a pleasant, pastel blue colour, with brown lettering, and brown borders around the doors and windows. The lettering said "Heaven".

Finally, the Otherworld plane was more like a helicopter. It was that small, with one single blade above the helicopter to keep it moving. The helicopter was a golden, shining colour with royal purple around the doors and windows. Gohan touched the side of it gingerly; it looked to be pure gold.

"In you go." Mooshi grabbed Gohan's tickets and carelessly threw them to the plane operator. The operator scowled, but said nothing, because of how powerful the boy beside Mooshi was. Mooshi ushered Gohan into the helicopter back. Mooshi sat down and buckled himself in.

"Comfortable, Gohan? Do you need anything?" Mooshi asked. He snapped his fingers, his little dimensional pocket appearing. He grabbed a pen and a notebook and flipped to a blank page, poised to write.

"Eh, no, I'm good." Gohan was eyeing the notebook suspiciously. It almost looked like a monster's head was sown onto the front cover… furry and green, with beady black eyes, antennae, and six very sharp-looking teeth.

Gohan was about to ask what the cover was made of until the plane started picking up speed. One minute, the plane was barely moving. The next, a hundred miles an hour. Gohan grabbed the seat in fear, eyes wide as the plane almost re-killed several ogres.

The plane driver laughed right out loud as a panicked ogre hit the wheel shield and laid there, groaning. The driver continue to laugh and hit the windshield wipers button, the poor ogre getting smooshed side by side until he fell off.

Gohan had his mouth wide open as the plane picked up speed and crashed straight into things. The driver simply laughed through it all and took a swig from a bottle. The bottle was made of glass, with a green wrapped around the middle that read "Intoxication". Gohan gulped. Oh, so that's what it was.

He's drunk.

Mooshi grinned and burst out into laughter as his old boss jumped out of the plane's way. Mooshi's old boss was a crabby ogre who loved nothing more than torturing Mooshi. As they passed, Mooshi stuck his wrinkled, warted, green tongue at his old boss and pulled the lower eyelid of his left eye down.

His boss shook a fist and yelled something. Mooshi responded by turning around and wriggling his butt at his old boss. The plane made a sudden turn, and Mooshi slammed into the window, his butt cheeks pressing up against the glass.

"Gohan, help!" Mooshi looked panicked as his butt continued to lose circulation. Thankfully, Gohan reached over and pulled Mooshi back into his seat. Mooshi sat down and strapped himself in once more.

"Thanks, that was a close one!" Mooshi breathed a sigh of relief and clenched his fist. "To the Grand Kai's planet… here… we… **GO**!" Mooshi cried, throwing his hands in the air. The plane (finally!) reached the end of the runway – after almost completely destroying the whole airport system. But who's counting, right? – and took off.

Gohan popped his ears several times, wriggling his fingers in there to make sure there were no problems. Once they were in the air, Gohan relaxed slightly. There was much less of a chance of hitting an innocent person up here. And even if a collision were to occur, Gohan was confident enough in his ability to prevent it before it happened.

Gohan glanced over at Mooshi; the imp was currently flipping through a magazine. Occasionally, Mooshi's wings would twitch and he'd get a weird look on his face. One look on the cover, and Gohan knew why. A girl in a bikini.

 _Gosh, he's just like Master Roshi. I don't understand these kinds of people… imps… whatever_. Gohan sighed softly and looked out the window, watching the fluffy clouds pass by. He was wondering what Mr. Piccolo and the others were doing. How Mom would take the news of his death. He sure missed them, but he wasn't sure if they missed him.

Gohan looked up absently and almost jumped out of his skin. There was a shining meadow, seemingly floating in midair. It had gorgeous green grass, beautiful rivers, and it seemed like a lovely place. _I'd love to visit there someday. I bet that's Heaven._ Gohan watched the plane labeled "Heaven" land on the meadow, with people walking out. _Yup._

Gohan was a little scared to, but he looked down and gulped in fear. It looked really dark down there, though he could seem some lava… and was that blood?

Nobody wants to visit Hell. Not even happy-go-lucky Gohan.

Speaking of him, Gohan shuddered and turned his face away from the Hell portion of the known universe. Gohan looked up and watched as Heaven disappeared behind the helicopter. He rested his head on his palm as he sighed heavily. He made no noise, With all this silence and time to himself, Gohan was finally able to think clearly and to himself.

Think about his death.

Gohan clutched at his chest with his right hand, wincing. It was painful. The disease felt like your heart was being ripped apart all at once. Every second of every day of that disease, he gave in to the pain. His head had been in an awful, dark mental condition. He had wished death to be released from the pain. Thankfully, the release came as soon as he was brought to Shenron.

Gohan had gazed upon the dragon, and his pain faded away, replaced with a sense of finalment and peace. It was finally over. Yeah, he'd die. And yeah, he wouldn't be able to be brought back to life. But it was the way it was, and Gohan accepted it. Hence his smooth transition to Otherworld. He looked down at his body, thinking about the disease. He was pretty sure he didn't have traces of it, but he'd take a blood sample of himself again to check just in case.

He wondered how the others were taking the news. Obviously, his mother would be... heartbroken. Gohan's right hand dropped as he realized this. Throughout his life, and his mother's marriage, he had grown used to his father leaving for years and then appearing with a new threat. He had come to accept that. But he had always been there for his mother. Now that he was gone, how was she supposed to get by? Well, his new sibling would keep her company, but she'd be lonely.

She would be used to him being there, and now he'd be gone. For good. Forever stuck at eleven. Gohan looked down at himself and made an unpleasant face, wondering exactly what he would look like if he did grow up. _No sense in dwelling what was not meant to be._ he supposed.

"Hey, you okay there, Gohan?" Mooshi asked, looking up from his magazine.

"Yeah. Just thinking." Gohan replied, sighing softly.

"Try not to let your death get to you too much. Lots of people die, and they leave people behind too. I'm sure that everyone you know is fine." Mooshi said.

 **(flip to Chi-Chi)**

 **"YOU MORONIC IMBECLIES! YOU JUST KILLED MY SON! MY BABY BOY! I'LL NEVER GET OVER IT! I SHOULD GO AND KILL MYSELF TO JOIN HIM, BUT THEN I WOULD BE KILLING THE BABY! WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST SAVE HIM?! YOU'RE ALL GONNA GET IT! KRILLIN, GET BACK HERE!"**

Yes, she's taking it SO well.

 **(and back to Gohan and Mooshi)**

"Hm." Gohan paled slightly at the thought of his rampaging mother.

"Hey, look! We're here!" Mooshi cried joyfully. He then remembered the incidents from earlier and buckled himself in tighter. He grabbed onto Gohan's arm for safety measures as the pilot whooted and put the speed on.

 _~Is Gohan in for a rough landing with a drunk pilot? Next step, to Otherworld! Will Gohan find his father, or will he continue to have misadventures until the horror of their reunion? Find out next time, on DBZ: Crossroads!~_

 **SoroTheAndriod:** Because I'm just so cruel. If there were no cliffhangers, no suspense, would you keep reading?

 **SuperSonicBros123:** Thank you!

 **daisukigohan:** Thank you!

 **Djberneman:** I think so! Gohan will be WAY more powerful.

 **anonymous:** His power would grow faster. The world of fanfictions allows you to create whatever you want. And in this case, an awesome Gohan! :3

 **Revan Kazama:** Thank you so much! Yeah, that's a great backstory for it. I hope you continue to read!

 **staanon:** I'm going, I'm going!


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note:**_

Hey everyone! Again, I'll try to post much faster. I'm excited to be doing this fanfiction! Please check out my other one, DBZ: A Whole New Enemy. In DBZ: A Whole New Enemy, I hated on Goku over and over again... I decided to turn Crossroads into something where Goku and Gohan have a nice relationship.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own DBZ. Probably never will. I would like to, one day, perhaps, create my own work of art.

 **CHAPTER SEVEN:**

Gohan gulped nervously as the plane started down. He held onto the hand thing. You know those things in cars? On the side of the car or on the roof? That you hold onto or hang dry cleaning on? Yeah, he grabbed onto whatever those things are called. He was nervous, to say the least. Last time this helicopter touched a runway, it had almost re-killed several ogres, destroyed the airport, and put Mooshi's rear end in an unfortunate situation.

Gohan gulped as the plane dipped down... then started screaming as it dropped. More speed was put on the plane, the nose of the helicopter heading straight for the ground. Gravity was doing all the work now. Gohan looked over at the pilot, only to see that he fallen asleep due to his alcoholic... habits.

He narrowed his eyes, his reflexes to deal with danger taking control. He only had to look down at the people who were screaming on the runway, fearful of their souls, and he knew what to do. Gohan ripped through his seatbelt and literally kicked the sliding door open, ripping the metal off of the helicopter. He gathered his Ki and shot off like a rocket, catching the helicopter with both hands. He balanced it before slowly lowering it to the ground. He gently lied it on the ground, then stood himself, brushing his palms off.

Gohan coughed slightly.

"That thing is dusty." he remarked. Mooshi burst out from the helicopter a moment later, throwing his hands up into the air, and kissing the ground. Gohan merely put his hands on his hips and chuckled at Mooshi's antics. He sensed some incredibly strong Ki levels a little ways away and turned around, narrowing his eyes at the sources. All were very powerful, but all seemed to be pure of heart.

Then... there was the Ki level of his father. Gohan's heart seemed to stop, his blood freezing. He swallowed a marble that seemed to suddenly appear in his throat. Did his dad know he was here? Probably not. Gohan assumed that if Goku knew he was here, he would probably have Instant Transitioned over here by now. Gohan shook his head, not ready to face his father quite yet. He made a silent vow to keep his power level down so Goku wouldn't detect it.

"So, Mooshi?" Gohan turned to his new friend, raising an eyebrow. "What now? I guess we're here, right? In Otherworld?"

"Hm?" Mooshi raised his own eyebrow, standing up and quitting with making out with the ground. "Yeah, this is Otherworld. The residence of all the Kais, where those who are allowed to keep their physical bodies generally reside. Where do you want to go first?"

"I dunno." Gohan turned to face the cities of Otherword. There were a huge collection of cottages. Gohan watched as one appeared, with a sign above the door that read "Son Gohan". The cottages were made of wood, and looked quite cozy. It was beside the house that read "Son Goku". Gohan gulped. He really hoped his father continued to be a naïve as he always was, and perhaps wouldn't notice the extra house with his son's name on it.

Gohan turned to the other side, where he could sense his father and some others training. No one was really taking it seriously, Gohan could tell. He didn't know that he was allowing his emotions to display on his face, his face slacking. His soul showed through his eyes. Sad, broken, given up on himself. Gohan had taken all the hate he had for the world and turned it in on himself, on the monster inside.

Mooshi was immediately concerned, seeing the boy's expression. He would never have guessed that Gohan wore a fake smile. He never would have thought that in a million years, that Gohan was harmed internally.

Gohan shook his head. _Keep the monster chained, Gohan._ he reprimanded himself. _You cannot allow yourself a moment of weakness._

"So, where-" Gohan began, turning to Mooshi. He was cut off by someone slamming into his back. He flew forwards, righting himself in the air and turned in his fighting stance, glaring daggers at his opponent. His emotions were unbalanced, his inner monster able to seep through the cracks. And right now, it was telling him that it was time to fight.

"I am Pikkon." the tall, green-skinned alien introduced himself. Like Gohan, he had a halo above his head and was studying the boy intently. "I was sent to bring you to headquarters."

"I understand." Gohan forced his body to relax, pushing his emotions down. He'd deal with those lingering feelings of regret, guilt, and grief later. He couldn't concentrate right now with them on board.

"Hm. You look like someone I know." Pikkon tilted his head to the side. "His name is Son Goku. Might you have any relation to him?"

"That is his business and none of yours!" Mooshi snapped, stepping in to defend Gohan.

"Nevermind that. My name is Gohan. Are we heading to this... headquarters now?" Gohan asked.

"Yes." Pikkon nodded. "Follow me." Pikkon lifted up into the air, his concentration turned to the small boy's Ki. The boy had almost an exact replica of the features of Goku. The same spiky, defying gravity hair, the same onyx eyes and hair, the same chiseled features. The boy had a similar build as well, though it was clear that he still needed to grow into his adult form. He stood strong and proud, an almost defiant look in his eyes. Pikkon was usually very good at reading people, and he could see the struggle ensuing behind the boy's fake demeanor. That was the only was that Gohan differed from Goku. This boy carried a deep regret, a deep self-hatred that he refused to allow anyone to see. Pikkon could barely sense his Ki as well; he could tell that Gohan was masking it.

Gohan easily kept pace with Pikkon, following him to a series of training buildings. They landed as Gohan looked around. The sky was a beautiful mix between pink and purple, darkening as it got to the horizon. The grass was a gorgeous, lush green, and the plants and other life forms were scattered here and there. They looked like they belonged in this world of freedom. Gohan could inhale the air here and be cleared of most of his troubles. He knew he couldn't run away from some of them, though, and refused to pretend that a simple breath of fresh air could change things.

He did enjoy the place though. Mooshi suddenly appeared, scaring the wits out of Gohan. He yelped and jumped to the side, his arms flailing about wildly. He started laughing at himself as Mooshi gave him a weird look and folded his green, warty, bat-like wings to his sides. Gohan shook his head and continued looking around.

There were so many other people! Gohan could sense that his father was farther to the north.

"Gohan, what planet are you from?" Pikkon asked, curiously looking at the boy. When Gohan raised an eyebrow in confusion, Pikkon gave him more information. "Here, in Otherworld, we are separated into the four quadrants of the galaxy. You're either in North, East, South, or West. One Kai watches over each section. Then the Grand Kai watches over the galaxy, and the Supreme Kai watches over the whole entire universe. The team that you're on is the section of the galaxy you come from."

"Oh, I'm from planet Earth." Gohan said without a second thought. Pikkon caught onto the information immediately - this boy **was** connected to Goku! He knew it. They were from the same planet!

"Then you'd been from the North section of the galaxy. I shall walk you over there, then." Pikkon said, taking long strides to the North section.

Gohan followed more slowly, taking the time to look at everything and everyone. Several of the fighters stopped and stared at him, wondering why his power level was so low. Finally, one of the fighters, a big guy who looked like a human, approached Gohan.

"Excuse me, but how did such a weak runt like you manage to make it in here?" the guy asked. He raised a bushy eyebrow - this guy had a huge hairdo and beard. Flaming red and giant! "I mean... you're definitely not as strong as the great Alfonse, which would be myself, of course."

"I agree. Gohan, perhaps you should engage him, show us what you're made of." Pikkon chimed in. Mooshi simply cackled in delight and took several big steps back.

"Go for it, kid!" Mooshi cheered.

"Alright then..." Gohan stepped up to the fight, eyeing Alfonse carefully. The giant took his position, his hair erupting into flames. Gohan yelped as flames circled the man. Evidently, he could control fire. Gohan took a deep breath and took his own stance. He didn't want to give away his true power, but it looked like he might have to...

Alfonse charged at him with a roar, the flames backing him up and moving with him. Gohan did a flip over Alfonse's head, but the flames reared up and caught his gi on fire. Gohan yelped and ran around desperately trying to put the fire out. He finally managed to smother the flames, but his gi was ruined. As he was inspecting the material, Alfonse shot a fireball at him.

Gohan threw himself to the side, spun on one hand, and launched himself at Alfonse. The giant didn't see the kick coming, so Gohan buried his knee right in Alfonse's face. The giant's face contorted as blood burst from his now heavily injured face. The giant flew backwards as Gohan's Ki spiked. Everyone in Otherworld had definitely felt that mess-up. Gohan blushed furiously and dropped to the ground, watching Alfonse being helped up by his teammates.

 **(Goku's POV)**

"Hey, King Kai, did you just feel that?" Goku looked around in confusion. "I swore that I almost felt Gohan for a second there... huh. Weird. He's still on Earth, right?"

"I would assume so." King Kai said. "It wouldn't make any sense for him to have died. I'm sure it's nothing, just some of the others training."

"Right." Goku didn't want any of his confusion to show, so he kept his mouth shut. However... he had felt a strange anxiety within him since yesterday. Like something was horribly wrong and he needed to help... said "thing" as soon as possible. Goku dismissed the feeling and continued punching and kicking, lunging around the training grounds like a maniac.

 **(Gohan's POV)**

Gohan could only watch as Alfonse stared at him with shock and fear in his eyes.

"How are you capable of that?!" he demanded. "You barely had any sort of Ki when I first attacked, and then you just..."

"I'm nothing more than a cage to a monster." Gohan dipped his head, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry that I let it free." he shut down his emotions, then turned and continued down to the North section, leaving the rest of the fighters stunned.

"A cage to a monster?" Pikkon echoed. "What could he possibly mean by that?"

Gohan simply kept walking, running away from all his problems. He took a deep breath, knowing exactly who he needed right now. Gohan broke into a run, following the trail of his father's Ki.

 _~Gohan has decided to find his father as of now. How will Goku react to his son's early, and permanent, departure from this world? What adventures await Gohan in Otherworld? Find out, next time, on DBZ: Crossroads!~_

 **No reviews yet, guys? Well, keep it up! I'll be waiting for you in the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:**

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Keep it up! You know what's funny, guys? This fanfic has less reviews than my first one, but my first one has less favourites / followers. Thanks to everyone who reads my stuff!

 **Disclaimer:** I'm not sure why I keep putting thing on here. It's pretty freaking clear that I DON'T own DBZ if this piece of work is on this site.

 **CHAPTER EIGHT:**

Gohan kept running, ignoring all his false excuses of why he shouldn't be trying to find his father. Yes, Gohan was terrified of Goku's reaction, and yes, Goku was sure to hate him. And yes, Gohan would now have to face his mistake of allowing Goku to die in the Cell Games by now defeating Cell when he should have. He tried to desperately shut his emotions down, but nothing was working as of now. His emotions ran wild, causing a need for Goku. It had seemed that whenever his late father was around, Gohan could be finally free from his own demons.

Gohan hated himself. He almost tried hating the world during the Cell Games, when his tiny soul shattered. He hid behind blaming others for his father's death, when

he only had himself to blame. He remembered shaking with rage, then turning that hate in on himself. And when Cell attacked for the second time, Gohan took that hate and angry and pure, pure RAGE and used to kill the android.

Gohan's feet stopped moving as he spotted his father. Goku had just floated down from training and was talking to King Kai. Gohan's heart seemed to stop, fear rooting him to the ground. His heart was crying out for Goku to notice him, while his mind was telling him to run for it. He gulped nervously as King Kai spotted him. He had never met the Kai before, but he assumed that the blue, short and fat man with antenna was the King Kai his father always talked about.

King Kai had never seen him either, though the Kai surely could recognize his Ki. King Kai's mouth opened as he shakily stopped talking to Goku. He could barely hear his father ask King Kai what was wrong through the ringing in his ears. King Kai pointed a shaky finger at Gohan, able to comprehend what he was seeing.

Goku turned, but to Gohan, it seemed to work in slow motion. The gi turned first, followed by the hair moving, shifting in the wind. One foot moved as well as Goku's face went to follow the rest of his body. His confused expression slowly melted into one of shock. His eyes widened, his jaw opening, his eyebrows raising. His arms dropped to his side as he stared at his son.

First, his eyes were on Gohan as a whole, but they soon moved to above Gohan's head, where his halo floated. Goku didn't bring his hands to his mouth, didn't gasp, he simply stood there in disbelief at his son.

Pikkon and the others had run up to Goku and Gohan at that moment, judging Goku's expression.

Gohan could barely follow as the truth really hit Goku, and the man slowly shook his head. Time returned to normal for Gohan as his father surged forwards, running like his life depended on it. As he neared Gohan, Goku slid to his knees and skidded the rest of the way. He grabbed Gohan by the shoulders, making sure that his son was real. That this wasn't some horrible prank.

Goku grabbed his chin and started yelling at Gohan, for the boy to explain what he was doing there, why he was dead, to say something, anything at all. The ringing in Gohan's ears returned as he slowly leaned forwards and hugged his father. Goku stopped saying things right then and there, coming to the awful conclusion that Gohan had harmed himself to get here.

"Gohan... what did you do..." Goku murmured, feeling his son's tiny, muscular arms encircle him. Goku was suddenly swept with a raging guilt, feeling his son's arms against his sides. He had done this to Gohan, forced him to become a solider when he was just so young. Goku was hit by a wave of protectiveness, a feeling he hadn't really gotten since Gohan was kidnapped by Piccolo. After Gohan had been trained by Piccolo, Goku had started worrying less and less about him. He remembered trying to fight his way through Garlic Jr.'s henchmen in order to get to his son. He hadn't been looking for a fight then, he had been trying to get his son back.

When had his parenting gone from caring to not? When had that really happened? Goku shook his head in true fear as he felt tears against his skin, cold and unforgiving. Goku simply leaned down and hugged his son closer. That's when the waterworks really happened. Gohan exploded into a teary, broken person. He wept openly against his father's gi, crying for fear, love, hate, and grief. Regret, horror, and the truth of his situation.

Goku waited until Gohan had finished balling his eyes out. Goku gently eased Gohan away from him, his hands on Gohan's shoulders.

"Son..." he murmured.

Pikkon and the rest of the crowd jumped. Son?! Everyone's jaws dropped, staring at the two with bug eyes.

"How did you get here? How did you die?" Goku gently combed his fingers through his son's unruly mane of hair. Though Gohan's hair was just as strong as Goku's, it had a silky texture to it, similar to Chi-Chi's.

"I... I caught the heart virus, Daddy." Gohan's voice was barely above a whisper. "I died... I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough..." Gohan buried his face in Goku's gi, ashamed of himself.

"The heart virus? The one that I had?" Goku's heart broke, hearing his son say 'Daddy'. He had always pushed Gohan to be a fighter, he had never listened to the voice inside of himself that told him of Gohan's true nature. He ignored it, and forced his son into situations that no child should have to experience. Goku hugged his son close, trying to comfort the small boy.

"You... didn't hurt yourself?" Goku questioned, almost afraid to ask.

"No, Daddy. I didn't want to die... but I did..." Gohan sniffled. "It hurt, Daddy. It hurt."

Goku's hands tightened, bunching in Gohan's purple gi in anger at himself. He couldn't believe that his son caught the disease, that his son died...

All because of him.

Goku ignored the people around them and continued hugging his son, praying desperately that his son was okay, both inside and out. Goku could finally see exactly what he had done to Gohan all these years. He let Gohan pull away from him, but he clung to Gohan's shoulders like it was life support.

"Daddy?" Gohan asked, fear rising in his belly. Goku saw the look in his son's eyes and nodded, desperate to hear what his son had to say.

"I hope you're not mad at me for dying. And I can't even be wished back to life..." Gohan mumbled, refusing to meet his father's eyes.

"No, Gohan, I could never be angry with you." Goku smiled at his son. "And if you can't be wished back to life, then I won't be wished back to life either. If you're staying here, I'm staying with you. Understand me, son? I won't leave you alone." _Again._ Goku's mind echoed.

Gohan nodded, smiling for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Everyone!" Goku stood up, hugging Gohan to his side. "I would like to introduce you to my son, Gohan."

Soon, everyone was crowding Gohan and Goku, shaking the boy's hand. They were all curious to see how the son of the prestigious Goku was. A fighter? They remembered the earlier defeat of Alfonse, and all chuckled to themselves. Pikkon stayed back, still brooding over what the boy had said. Clearly, getting things in order with his father had helped him clear his emotions out. He was much more stable now, as opposed to back when he defeated Alfonse.

After most introductions were made, King Kai approached the father-son duo.

"Hello, Gohan! It's nice to finally meat you." King Kai chuckled, burying his head in his hands. The whole North section fighters all sweatdropped at the Kai's terrible sense of humor.

"Get it? Because Saiyans like meat? Bwahahahahahahaha!" King Kai erupted into giggles, while Gohan gave his father a 'is this guy for real?' look. Goku simply smiled and shrugged.

"So, Gohan, there's a tournament coming up here." Goku said, breaking his son out of his shock. "Did you maybe want to participate in it?" Goku asked. Pikkon snapped to attention, studying the boy to try and figure out his response.

"Well, I guess, sure..." Gohan said, nervously rubbing his hands together.

"It'll be fine, Gohan. What do you have to be nervous about?" Goku asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing. Nevermind." Gohan shook his head, and instead, looked up and smiled at his father. "Hey, Daddy?"

"Yes, Gohan?"

"Can I sleep in your cottage? Please?"

"Of course, son."

Goku and Gohan walked back to Goku's cottage. It was ridiculously messy, food and dishes and orange gis everywhere. Goku glanced in dismay at his son's ruined purple gi. He scratched his head slightly.

"Tomorrow, we can ask King Kai to make you a new set of gis, okay?" Goku said, leaning on one knee to come eye-to-eye with his son.

"Okay! Can they be like Mister Piccolo's, with a cape?" Gohan asked eagerly.

"Sure." Goku smiled at Gohan, who grinned back. Goku glanced at the burn marks, his vision turning red at the corners. He swallowed his fury that someone had attacked his son and simply checked for burns. There were a couple along Gohan's skin.

"Gohan, who attacked you?" Goku asked, fury crawling into his voice.

"Uhm... a guy named Alfonse."

"I hope I face him in the tournament then." Goku's voice was cold with barely contained fury. He bandaged Gohan's burns and gave Gohan a pair of his pajamas. The PJs were way too big on Gohan, which made Goku laugh. Gohan yawned and crawled into bed, burying his face in the pillow that smelled so much like his father. Goku smiled and crawled in beside his son, drawing the blankets over both of them. He hugged Gohan close to him, listening to his son's steady breathing. Goku smiled, happy that Gohan was happy... for once in his short, short life.

 _~Gohan has met Goku and has agreed to participate in the tournament. Tomorrow, training awaits! How will that go? Find out, next time, on DBZ: Crossroads!~_

 **Animefangirl365:** Nice! XD

 **SoroTheAndroid:** Well, you just saw! Did you enjoy, or did I muck it up?

 **daisukigohan:** Thanks so much! :3


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note:**_

I am super, super busy between 2 fanfics, (soon to be 3... or 4... *dies*), school, and extra curricular activities. Sorry for late updates!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own DBZ! At all!

 **CHAPTER NINE:**

Goku woke up when the morning sun started to filter in through his window. He stared at the pretty sky, the gorgeous blend of pink and purple. The sky here in Otherworld had always given him a sense of calm, like everything was alright and just as it should be. He was about to sit up when he became aware of a weight on his left arm. What he had thought was a blanket, was actually his giant PJs on the small frame of his son. He blinked in confusion, watching Gohan's side rise and fall evenly with his breath. Goku remembered what had happened yesterday and gently eased his arm away from Gohan. The boy had been holding onto his hand. Goku smiled and eased himself out of bed, using his ki to make his movement completely silent by floating above the ground.

Goku was on his feet now, in his PJs. He stretched as he walked into the kitchen, lifting one arm above his head and twisting his body around to get some of the sores that sleep had left him out. He had planned to go see King Kai, to get the Kai to make Gohan some new gis that resembled Piccolo's, just like he wanted. Goku padded quietly into the kitchen, picking up a pot roast that one of the other fighters had made for him. She was quite nice - she was an alien and looked human enough, except for her pointed ears and markings around her eyes. She was from the Southern part of the universe, so he wasn't familiar with her species. She had taken a shine to him, however, and had cooked him several delicious meals.

Goku laid the food on the table as he hummed to himself, singing the song that had played at his and Chi-Chi's wedding. Ever since marrying her, the tune had been stuck in his head. At one point, when he, Piccolo, and nine year-old Gohan were just waking up in the morning, he had started humming the tune. Gohan literally dropped his literacy books on the floor and jumped on a table, air-guitaring the tune and humming along with his dad. Goku took the main chorus, while Gohan handled the rock sound, and when Chi-Chi saw them, she started humming the lighter tunes. Goku would always remember the look on Piccolo's face as he came in to see his pupil playing a fake guitar atop a table, and Goku and Chi-Chi tangoing it on the floor.

Goku had fallen down to the floor in laughter, and Chi-Chi had blushed violently, screeching at Piccolo for being such a "simple-minded, nosy freak". Gohan, of course, had ignored them all and continued "playing". The show must go on!

Goku had finished setting up breakfast. He had to fix the table four times, since it had collapsed from the weight of his food. The last time, he managed to get King Kai to reinforce the table with ka-something or other. A very strong metal! Goku was putting two plates out when he felt Gohan's ki spike horrendously. The ki signal told Goku that Gohan was in immediate danger. As soon as he started running, some of the other fighters broke into his house, and everyone charged towards the youngest fighter in Otherworld.

In Gohan's bedroom, Pikkon was having a difficult time holding a struggling Gohan down. The boy's eyes were closed, his body thrashing about violently. His head shook back and forth, his whole body tensing. Goku didn't know what he was dreaming about. He didn't think that anything that happened to Gohan would have this sort of affect on him...

" **DAADDDYYYYY!** " Gohan suddenly screamed, his back arching violently. " **NOOOOO! I WILL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY DADDY, CELL!** " Gohan struggled to breathe as Goku froze. Everyone in the room had turned to look at Goku in question. Goku fell to his knees and crawled towards his son, knocking Pikkon off his boy. He held onto Gohan tightly, feeling the boy's powerful struggles kick or punch at his chest and ribs. As soon as Gohan took a breath and inhaled Goku's scent, he calmed down. His body relaxed, he stopped flailing. His inner power slowly receded as Gohan relaxed against Goku's chest.

"Shh..." Goku stroked Gohan's hair, his hand coming to a stop on the back of Gohan's head. His other hand was cradling his son's back to his chest, holding his tiny son in tight. _I'll always be here for you, Gohan._ Goku promised, tightening his grip slightly.

"It's okay, Gohan. I'm here. Cell's gone. He isn't here to hurt you anymore." Goku said. He could tell by Gohan's ki when the boy had fallen into a deep sleep, free of nightmares. Goku stood up, eyes closed, as he cradled his son close. He refused to leave Gohan now. He sat down on the bed, allowing Gohan to use him as a pillow. He was leaning against the wall, Gohan using his half-raised chest as a pillow. Goku's left hand was slowly rubbing Gohan's back to comfort him, while his right was steadying himself.

"Goku, I think we need to talk." Pikkon said after a moment.

"What do you mean? What could we have to talk about, Pikkon?" Goku asked, raising an eyebrow. "And keep your voice down - Gohan is trying to sleep."

Pikkon nodded in understanding. "As you may have noticed, Gohan faced down Alfonse upon his arrival here."

"Yes, I did notice." Goku growled, almost snarling in mention of it. None of the fighters had seen Goku so angry before. All except Pikkon took a cautious step back, glancing nervously among themselves.

"Gohan said something to Alfonse that day." Pikkon continued. "It's been bothering me for a while. He's only a child, Goku. But he seems years older than he should be. He's not a child..." Pikkon hesitated. "Inside. When Alfonse questioned him about his sudden rush of power, he told us that **he** was merely a cage to a monster that never should have been born. Do you have any idea..." Pikkon trailed off at Goku's expression.

The Saiyan was shocked, his mouth hanging open. He wasn't moving, not rubbing Gohan's back anymore. The small Saiyan hybrid whimpered and clenched his hands in Goku's gi. Goku quickly resumed comforting his son, thinking about what Pikkon had just told him.

"Gohan has always had an inner power." Goku said after a few moments of awkward silence. "He's always been able to surpass us due to it. It came out whenever his life was in danger, or when someone made him snap... made him break with rage... when someone hurt the people he cared about." Goku looked away, focusing on Gohan's still form. "Gohan always had a lot of responsibility on him, too. His mom was determined that he become a scholar, while Piccolo and I pushed for a fighter out of him. He became both, I guess, but when I was alive, I never really took consideration for how certain situations would make Gohan feel. Gohan versus the Saiyans was something I couldn't do anything about, but I allowed my son to blast off to Namek. He got his neck broken on that planet, and he was only five!" Goku shook his head. "Then I decided to stay in space, preferring to have a good fight than be the father my son needed me to be. When I finally came home, I had left it to Gohan and the others to defeat an enemy I barely managed to after my Super Saiyan transformation. I wasn't there for him... but I could have easily teleported there. Against Cell... I pushed Gohan to fight that fight. I guess I didn't really notice when my son broke inside. When Gohan was really little, I could have cared less about getting a good fight. When he was kidnapped by Garlic Jr's minions, I tried to get past them as fast as possible. As Gohan grew up... I left him alone."

Pikkon had a disgusted look on his face while the others were in varying states of shock.

Goku shook his head. "That was my fault. I realize it now. I shouldn't have left him all alone out there." Goku sighed. "I always thought of Gohan's power as useful, but I never considered that he might hate himself for having it. I always thought that he didn't mind having it... he isn't a monster." Goku looked down in anguish at his small, eleven year old son. Now Gohan would never grow up. There would never be a chance for him to, since the Dragon Balls only allowed people who didn't die a natural death to be revived. Gohan died a natural death, through a disease.

"If he was so powerful, Goku, how did he die?" Pikkon asked.

"A heart virus that I had. He often visited me when I was sick, I never thought that I might have passed it on to him... it's the kind of disease that makes you feel like someone is stabbing your heart with incredibly heated metal. I only survived because I had doses of the cure... Gohan wasn't so lucky."

"I see. A disease." Pikkon thought for a moment, drawing his brows together. "Why was he afraid of participating in the tournament then? He's quite powerful, nothing will happen to him." before Goku could respond, Pikkon interrupted. "Perhaps because he is afraid of his own power? That would make sense."

Goku mutely nodded and looked down at his sleeping son.

"So, what now?" one of the fighters asked.

"Now? Oh, um, could someone go get King Kai- I mean, North Kai, and tell him to come here please? I was hoping he could make Gohan a couple new gis." Goku asked.

"Why not simply ask him to make new ones of your's?" Pikkon asked.

"Gohan doesn't want a carbon copy of mine. He wants one that looks like Piccolo's. Purple, with a white cape and weighted shoulder pads." Goku explained. "Piccolo was his first mentor. Piccolo sort of... raised Gohan, I guess. He was around when I wasn't."

"What sort of alien was Piccolo?" Pikkon asked.

"Piccolo was a Namekian."

"Hm. I know of Namekians. They are a well known, peaceful race. Gifted in healing."

"Well, Piccolo isn't like that. There was this one Namekian who possessed a great evil. The Namekian split himself into two - the good and the evil. The evil was King Piccolo, the good, a Namekian named Kami. Kami became the Guardian of Earth while King Piccolo ran around and harmed people, until I stopped him. After I killed him, King Piccolo spat out an egg that had his soul in it, in the form of a baby Namekian. The Namekian is known as Piccolo, as well. He tried to kill me too, but I defeated him. After my evil brother Raditz came to Earth, he was forced to kill me and Raditz with one blow. He said that he wanted to do it so he could rule the Earth. He then trained Gohan to fight like him." Goku explained.

"I see. He must be quite the warrior."

"Yeah, Piccolo is really smart! He sees every advantage and makes use of it. He's gotten me good more than a couple times because of that." Goku rubbed the back of his head, laughing.

~ _It seems that Gohan is settling in fairly well! What adventures await our young Saiyan hybrid as he trains for the Otherworld Tournament?~_

 **daisukigohan:** Thank you so much! Also, please don't hit me. I'll try to update once a week!

 **SoroTheAndroid:** Thank you! :3

 **rrm232:** He basically means his hidden power as a whole. He doesn't really let go of the self-hate, 'cause it makes for some dramatic scenes I have planned!

*SPOILERS*

The Otherworld tournament will be a disaster... let's just say that a specific overprotective Namekian Daddy will be popping in, threatening Dende with the pain of death should Dende not cooperate. Also, Bojack! The Dragon Balls allow the Z Fighters to summon the father/son duo to help fight.

 **toolazytologin:** XD

Yup! Thanks so much. Here is the next chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Note:**_

Chapter Ten, coming right up! Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own DBZ.

 **CHAPTER TEN:**

Goku allowed some of the fighters to stay and greet Gohan when he woke up, but for the most part, they all left. Pikkon was allowed to stay, as was Celeste. Celeste was that one alien he had been thinking of earlier, the one who made him food! Celeste was sitting in Goku's rocking chair, eagerly waiting for the chance to meet Goku's son person-to-person. Pikkon was simply standing, looking down at Gohan with a careful gaze. Clearly, he mistrusted Gohan.

Gohan's eyes narrowed and then he blinked, unable to get up because he was hugging his father. Goku felt his head move as he looked up, blinking at his dad.

"Hey, Gohan. Have a nice sleep?" Goku asked innocently. Gohan shook his head and continued hugging his father.

"No. I was dreaming about the Cell Games." Gohan said, closing his eyes again. He wouldn't say it, but he was dreaming about something else as well. His inner power. He was chained in a dark room, the chains glowing golden and enveloping him in a strange light. He felt himself overcome with rage, screaming, and trying to kill whoever was there. What seemed like hours later, he was covered in blood. The floor was covered in dead bodies of Namekians, Earthlings, and his family and friends. There wasn't a spot on the floor that didn't have a body on it.

Gohan untangled himself from his father, and plopped down on the bed, rubbing his eyes and trying to get those images out of his head.

Celeste was a warrior, but not because of physical properties. She was able to play with other people's minds. When she read Gohan's, viewing the images of his inner power, she narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.

"Wanna go eat, Gohan?" Goku asked. Gohan brightened at the mention of food, and before anyone realized he was going to move, je tensed his muscles and jumped, one hand on Goku's head as he flipped over the older Saiyan. He landed and made a mad dash for the kitchen, knowing his Dad would be right on his heels.

Goku cursed and ran after his son. "Don't eat all the food! Gohan! Please!" Goku cried desperately as Gohan jumped again, landing squarely in a chair, which rocked backwards, but the half-Saiyan didn't care, picking up his knife and fork, and digging in. A second later, Goku started eating, both Saiyans acting like they hadn't eaten in weeks.

When Pikkon and Celeste walked into the kitchen, they both sweatdropped at the Saiyans. Celeste soon started cooking more food, using her telepathic abilities to levitate objects and cook. She sat down and concentrated, food being prepared and dropped on the table for the Saiyans. Pikkon just stood in the doorway, open-mouthed at the spectacle.

Gohan and Goku had soon demolished the whole breakfast table. They both sat back, in contentment. They had identical expressions of their faces as they rubbed their stomachs, sighing. Celeste giggled and stopped cooking. The place was a mess, so she moved the objects around and cleaned it. Pikkon was still standing there, mouth open.

"I haven't had the chance to talk to you yet." Celeste said softly. "Gohan."

Gohan opened an eye and sat up, staring at her seriously. "Yes?"

"Your father has said much about you." Celeste said, narrowing her own eyes somewhat. "Just how powerful are you?"

"Gohan, let's go train!" Goku cried cheerfully, grabbing Gohan's upper arm and hauling the boy out of the door. He refused to allow Gohan to answer that question - after last time, who knew what Gohan would say. Celeste and Pikkon followed, standing back as Goku and Gohan faced each other. Goku wasted no time in transforming, his hair flying up into a golden spiked mess, his eyes turning blue, and his aura spiking into a golden fire.

Gohan did the same. His hair didn't life at all, however, staying the same. It waved back and forth with his aura, but stayed the same shape. Goku readied his stance, his left leg ahead, and his right behind. His left arm was higher up, his fingers curled. His right arm was clenched into a fist, right by his side.

Gohan's stance mirrored Piccolo's exactly. He stood on a slight angle, his right knee bent and forwards, his left stretched backwards, and his weight in his toes. His left hand was further ahead, in a position to catch a fist. His right was near his head, his fingers in the same position as his left.

The two fighters stared each other down as other fighters came to watch the spar.

Goku leapt at his son, arm extended for a punch. Gohan caught it with his right hand and flipped with the force, kicking his small legs up and nailing Goku in the chin, sending the older Saiyan up into the air.

Pikkon leaned forwards, analyzing Gohan's tactics. Apparently, that Namekian Piccolo really was quite the warrior, and the teacher.

Goku flew back down, kicking Gohan in the chest. Gohan held onto his leg, did a flip, and slammed his heels into Goku's face. As Goku grabbed at his face, Gohan took the offensive and started punching him in the gut over and over again, chasing Goku down. Goku slammed his head down and his forehead collided with Gohan's head. Gohan was sent down, creating a crater on the world. Gohan got up fast enough to dodge Goku's kick, spinning on one hand and kicking Gohan in the side with the balls of his feet. Goku went flying. He looked up, searching for his son, then sensed Gohan's ki behind him. Gohan kicked Goku in the small of the back, sending him flying up again. Gohan fly upwards, the fight now in the sky. Goku recovered and started charging a Kamehameha. Goku fired as Gohan defended against the beam. Gohan was sliding back down, struggling to hold his ground as Goku poured more energy into his Kamehameha. Gohan managed to bounce the beam away, but Goku used instant transmition and locked his fists, bringing them down on Gohan's head. The boy flew backwards, charging up a Masenko and firing it at Goku. Goku hadn't seen it coming, and it exploded all over him. When the dust settled, Gohan was on the ground and Goku was coughing, trying to get said dust out of his nose and throat. Gohan wasted no time with his advantage and punched Goku in the chest, making the older Saiyan wheeze, Goku flying backwards.

It had just occurred to Gohan that he and his Dad were in their PJs. Gohan looked down at his bright orange, too big PJs and started laughing, powering down. Goku flew over to Gohan, then noticed it as well. By now, both Saiyans were on the ground, holding their stomachs and laughing. Goku was face-first on the ground, while Gohan sat on his back and clutched at his stomach.

"Hey, Dad? Can I get some new gis now?" Gohan asked, grinning crazily.

"Sure." Goku laughed, getting up. Gohan slid off of his back and landed on his feet easily. Goku put his hand on Gohan's head, and they both instant transmitioned out of there.

Pikkon was shocked, watching the fight. He had assumed that Goku was one of the best fighters in Otherworld, and there he was, getting thrown around by an eleven year old child! It was clear that Gohan had memorized Goku's moves, and Gohan had the obvious tactical advantage. Apparently, the child was also exceedingly powerful.

Gohan and Goku finally found King Kai.

"Hey, King Kai!" Goku called, running over. Gohan was on his heels. Alfonse was there as well, leaning against a wall. He narrowed his eyes as Gohan ran past.

"Do you think you could make Gohan some new gis? He wants them to look like Piccolo's. You know, the one he wore for the Cell Games?" Goku said in a rush. King Kai blinked, sizing Gohan up.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Gohan."

"Likewise." Gohan smiled. They shook hands, and Gohan bowed.

"My, my! Goku, your son has manners that you lack!" King Kai said, delighted. "Guess he's more of a trained monkey. Get it?" King Kai started giggling, covering his mouth with his hand. "Because Saiyans have tails?" King Kai started laughing ridiculously loud, slapping his own leg.

"Oh, um, uh..." Gohan started. "Um... I, uh, may have, um, gotten my tail back maybe?" Gohan shrunk as Goku and King Kai turned to look at him. His tail reached up and scratched his nose, before wrapping around his waist again.

"Gohan." Goku's voice was cold. "That tail has to go."

"No!" Gohan squeaked, running. Goku chased him, making a grab for the tail. Gohan covered his tail with his hands, yelping and jumping into the air every time Goku made a grab for it. King Kai laughed and zapped Gohan, giving him the gi he desired, with the little hole for his tail, too.

When Goku got distracted by Gohan's cape, Gohan escaped. King Kai approached Goku with an armful of gis and weighted shoulder pads with capes.

"Here, Goku." King Kai handed the gis to the Saiyan, and then they both watched Gohan run towards the cottages. Goku started running after him, Gohan's tail forgotten.

 _~Today is a bit of a shorter chapter, but next time... the Tournament. What will go down with two Saiyans in tow? Find out next time, on DBZ: Crossroads!~_

 **squici:** Hi lazy reviewer! Thank you very much, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. And yes - bless Mama Piccolo.

 **rrm232:** Well, Gohan isn't doing too much training. Next is the tournament!

 **Jack905:** Thank you! Gohan isn't training too much.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Author's Note:**_

I now have a schedule! Every Tuesday is when the next chapter of Crossroads will be released. Monday is A Whole New Enemy. Wednesday is Youngest Among Us, and I'll have a new Selection / DBZ crossover. It's where all the males in DBZ fight for Chi-Chi's hand in the Selection.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own DBZ!

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN:**

Gohan was strolling around the gardens at the tournament. This place was simply gorgeous - the gardens were prettier than any other that Gohan had ever seen! His Mom's had been simply stunning, but these were amazing. He couldn't even begin to describe the shades of all the different colours as he strolled nervously. Gohan had been to nervous to eat, while his father was stuffing his face. Goku hadn't noticed him leave, and Gohan didn't know that Pikkon and Celeste were following him. For some reason, the older fighters were quite interested in the young half-Saiyan hybrid.

Gohan sighed, stopping at a particular large bunch of flowers that carried on for miles. "I'm sorry, Dad." he mumbled. Celeste extended her hand, using her telepathic abilities. Gohan fell to the ground as Celeste forced her way into his mind. He clutched at his head, screaming in agony. His ki rose rapidly, wavering between furious and terrified. In an instant, Goku was on the scene, kneeling by his son. Several of the other fighters had gathered around the boy, desperate to know what was wrong. Celeste narrowed her eyes and Gohan's resistance broke.

Suddenly, images popped out in a circle above the boy. Each one was a memory. The fighters watched in horror as Gohan was abducted. They watched his fights with Piccolo, his training, saw his emotions, saw his rage against Raditz. Saw him fight Nappa and prepare to die. They watched him as his neck was broken by Recoome, as his head was crushed underneath Frieza's foot. They saw him being forced to fight Cell, and finally... the disease.

Goku had a bitter taste in his mouth, horror aching through his chest as he instinctively placed a hand over his heart. Gohan was suffering. Not even he had suffered that much due to the disease, and... he hadn't died. Goku didn't die. Gohan did. In the memory, Gohan's eyes flew open as he screamed in agony, clutching at his chest. Piccolo, at his side, tried to comfort the boy, but nothing would stop his screaming. The view zoomed in, showing a close-up of Gohan's eye before delving into Gohan's mind. The boy was on his knees, beaten and bruised. His gi was ripped and torn, blood everywhere. He looked up, a bloody scar going from his temple, over his left eye, to his chin. He had golden, flaming chains circling his neck, wrists, and ankles. The flames intensified as Gohan turned into a Super Saiyan. Hidden, the screams of a nearly shattered soul were unheard by all. They always had been.

The images faded, leaving every fighter present shocked and horrified.

"What have you done?" Goku's voice was quiet. He was dead serious. He stood up, glaring at Celeste with dead eyes. "What have you done to my son, Celeste?"

"It's more of what YOU did to him!" Celeste shot back. "Didn't you see his memories?! Didn't you see that?! You tore your son apart! He was forced to choose between being himself and being what YOU wanted him to be! What have you done?!" she demanded, stepping forwards. "I was interested in your son because I saw flashes of that! You forget - I see flashes of people's pasts. I recognized those battles! I saw the one with Raditz, I saw what he saw, I felt what he felt, I heard what he heard! He heard you screaming as his ribs were crushed, he could only see the awful interior of the pod Raditz stuffed him in, I felt that inner power show itself-"

"Shut up."

Everyone was quieted as Goku's ki rose dramatically. His aura was red, completely furious. His hair flew up, flashing red for a moment before calming down. "We're getting ready for the tournament." Goku gathered his tiny son in his arms, cradling Gohan to his chest. Gently, he flew off, protecting his son against the high winds. He landed in the training facility, his face like stone. Every fighter got out of his way, moving before he reached them. Goku had changed since his son had come here - he had become much more serious, much more protective of this strange boy. He used to be super happy and joking around all the time, but he was deadly about protecting his son. Everyone got the message - 'touch him and you die'. To be honest, it was kind of creepy.

Goku sat down next to his son, waiting for his name to be called. Celeste was called out to fight, and Goku's fist tightened. He could only hope that he'd be able to fight her. She used a deadly tactic with her powers - she immobilised her victim and then forced him relive his worst moments. Goku wasn't sure what his worst would be. Or if it would even have to do with Gohan. The time Krillin was blown up by Frieza? He had no idea. He only saw one person break free from her grasp - Pikkon. The fighter accepted his mistakes, and forgave himself. That allowed him to brush the memories off, no sweat. Goku wasn't sure he could pull that off.

"Gohan versus Alfonse." the announcer droned. Goku quickly shook his son. Gohan sat up, rubbing his eyes and blinked.

"Dad, what-"

"Gohan, go fight! It's your turn!" Goku said. He ushered Gohan out of the training rooms and pushed him onto the ring. Gohan was startled, but nonetheless, waited for his opponent to arrive. _Oh, it's Alfonse. The guy who tried to burn me._ Gohan thought, then shook his head. _No, I must forgive him. He deserves a second chance._ Gohan took his stance, breathing in and out. His left leg was farther ahead than his right. His right hand was above his head, palm open to catch a punch. His left hand was guarding his middle, again, ready to catch a punch.

Alfonse immediately summoned the max amount of fire he could, throwing everything at Gohan immediately. From the stands, Goku cracked the metal railing he was clutching, scowling fiercely. Gohan flipped over the flames, quite literally feeling the heat. He wasted no time in getting close-ranged with Alfonse, reinforcing his palms with his ki. He pushed that straight into Alfonse's unguarded gut. The older man literally took a spike of ki right in the gut, where he had not been expecting it. He reeled backwards, coughing up blood. Electricity sparked throughout his body, crackling once it hit oxygen. Gohan stood and watched, waiting to see if Alfonse would continue the fight. Gohan winced as a particularly nasty bolt of lightning struck the ground. He ended Alfonse's misery by kicking the man into the opposite wall and knocking him unconscious.

All of a sudden, Gohan was the crowd favourite. He was lifted up on people's shoulders, cheered on, and all of a sudden, everyone had 'Go Gohan!' posters. Gohan shyly scratched the back of his neck, blushing furiously. The crowd "awwww..."'d and continued cheering the eleven year old on.

"Goku versus Pikkon." the announcer said. Gohan couldn't see very well over top of the crowd. He pouted, trying to jump up and down. From his Dad's and Pikkon's ki signals, they were really going all out! Op, and there was the Super Saiyan. Oh! Pikkon must be using some sort of special attack! Gohan jumped up again, catching a glimpse of it. Soon, the fight was over. Gohan was tired of being unable to see, and pushed his way through the crowd. He yelped at the states of the two older fighters, who were shaking hands. Gohan ran over with a senzu bean for both.

"Hey, thanks Gohan." Goku said, ruffling his son's hair. Pikkon merely bowed to thank the boy. Gohan smiled up at both of them.

"So, who won?" Gohan asked.

"We were both disqualified for touching the ceiling." Goku admitted, laughing and scratching the back of his neck. Gohan laughed along with him as the trio went to go sit down and continue to talk. Pikkon, after learning that Gohan was open to questions, started grilling the boy about his 'hidden power'. Gohan tried to answer best he could - to be fair, he didn't know most of this stuff. His power confused him.

"Gohan versus Celeste." the trio froze. Gohan gulped nervously, while Goku seethed, and Pikkon held Goku back from going out and murdering the announcer. Gohan nervously walked up to the ring, gulping. Celeste was standing there, her arms crossed. As soon as the bell sounded for them to start fighting, Celeste paralyzed Gohan and dug deep into his mind.

"Let's see how you really feel." she murmured. Gohan panicked, struggling and screaming. Goku was yelling as well, barely being held back by Pikkon. The link clicked, the dark background back.

 _Help me..._ the words turned into a scream. **_Mister Piccolo, HELP! Daddy, Mommy, ANYONE! GET HER OUT OF MY HEAD!_** Gohan's inner voice screamed, forcing a connection broke by death. His power snapped, the boy's physical form screaming in agony. Gohan's muscles bulged as blood shot out from his limbs and back. His eyes rolled back, screaming in terror. He was terrified of Celeste, of what she was doing to him. It was painful, excruciatingly so.

To be fair, there was no way Mister Piccolo could get here.

Boy.

They were dead wrong.

Piccolo had heard Gohan's call. He was desperate, anxious, and terrified for his student. He had threatened Popo and Dende until they agreed to open the portal for him. When Piccolo stormed into King Yemma's office, the link really clicked. Piccolo sensed the presence invading Gohan's mind and harming his boy. How DARE they. The Namekian hadn't felt this angry in a long time.

" **MISTER PICCOLO!** " Gohan screamed in agony, falling to the arena floor. Celeste clutched at her head as something attacked her. She withdrew from Gohan's mind and warily eyed the direction it had come from. A red crack appeared, like this world was made of glass and it was cracking. The crack widened, and with an awful shattering sound, there was a portal to King Yemma's office. King Yemma was cowering behind his desk, his judgement room burned. As the fighters of Otherworld stared, a burned piece of wood fell from the ceiling.

The Namekian strode through the opening. Everyone immediately went on the offensive - whoever this guy was, he was dangerous and seriously ticked off. He approached Gohan, who was lying still on the floor. He leaned down to the boy. The fighters tensed, believing that this stranger was going to harm the boy.

They were all surprised as he gently gathered the boy in his arms, closing his eyes and placing his fingertips on Gohan's head. The terrified aura that previously surrounded Gohan calmed, and was now full of peace and joy. Gohan opened his eyes and threw his arms around Piccolo's neck. Piccolo hugged Gohan close to him, closing his own eyes. Piccolo could feel the wet spots on his gi shoulders from Gohan beginning to sob in relief. Gohan's furry tail wrapped half-way around Piccolo's waist. Piccolo smiled through his own growing tears, incredibly pleased that Gohan trusted him with his biggest weakness.

"I'm always here for you, kid." Piccolo's gravelly voice sounded through the stadium. Not one other person was talking. "Always."

 _~Piccolo has managed to force his way through Otherworld to come to Gohan's aid. Will Piccolo be allowed to stay, or will he be forced away from his little boy?~_

 **Holy reviews!**

 **Guest:** Thank you! I shall keep it up.

 **squichi:** Dun dun dun indeed. *evil face* He does need to go, and Gohan made sure of that! Next chapter will focus on Piccolo and Pikkon, and their friendly little... hatred for each other.

 **daisukigohan:** Have I managed to avoid Mr. Stick?

 **Jack905:** There's still tons of fighting to go, don't worry!

 **Vanity:** Well, that's a tough call to make. If I keep her alive, what will I do with her? You forgot - Goku and Gohan live in Otherworld. I'll be focusing on them, not what's going on on Earth. It doesn't matter if she's alive or not - she won't be used at all. She sort of just be... there. You know?

 **Guest:** Thank you! :3

 **KingLuxion:** Your sense of smell is quite accurate, my friend. *le evil face*

 **:** He did grow his tail back! I really hope you enjoy my "typing away"! *le happy face*

 **Ky111:** Yeah, that was the goal! Of course, we need to go through an emotion roller-coaster first, but we'll get there! The comment about his power is totally true. He'll work on it. Remember, all he remembers of those moments is killing or trying to hurt someone else. He's scared that he'll turn on his friends and family. Am I getting in-depth enough with emotions?

 **Dragon Queen Niji:** Does this chapter live up to your expectations?

 ** _Question of the day:_**

 _Where the heck are emoji's when you need them?!_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note:**_

Thank you guys SO much for reviewing. I love you all.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Dragon Ball Z. This is just a non-profit fanfiction!

 **CHAPTER TWELVE:**

Piccolo closed his eyes as he hugged his student close. Gohan was sobbing in relief now, feeling protected. To Gohan, Piccolo was the one person he could ALWAYS run to, no matter what. Piccolo was the solid rock in a crazy ocean, the one person Gohan trusted with anything. There were things he couldn't just tell his father, but Mister Piccolo always had his back. Even now, when Gohan was in pain and should have attacked Celeste, Piccolo had come to save him from the horrible girl. Gohan had originally thought that Celeste was a good friend of his Dad's - but he guessed that curiosity was her biggest weakness. The blonde haired girl was staring at them in shock, her long, curly hair poking past her elven-like ears. She stood up straight, her green eyes glowing slightly.

"A Namekian, huh?" Celeste said. Her complexion was nearly perfect - pale skin without a single scar. She had on a green fighting outfit, tights and a long-sleeved shirt with those holes in the sleeves for thumbs. She had a green cape on, and a sword, which glowed with a pale light. The only odd thing on her face was this strange green tattoo beside her right eye. It was a green rose, which was just above her eye. The vine that was connected to the rose curled around her eye, going underneath it. "You're Piccolo, aren't you? Gohan's first mentor." Celeste sized Piccolo up. Since she had gone through Gohan's memories, of course she knew what Piccolo was like. However, spying on a memory and actually meeting the man in real life were two completely different things.

"That I am." Piccolo stepped away from Gohan, putting his arm out to hold the boy back. "You stay back, Gohan. I'll handle this." Gohan opened his mouth to protest, but Piccolo gave him the look that meant he would not back down, no matter what. Gohan sighed and stayed back, sitting on the tiled floor of the arena tournament. He was leaning on his palms, legs straight out in front of him. His cape was underneath him, cushioning Gohan. The boy blinked up at Piccolo, who smiled at his student and ruffled his hair fondly. Piccolo then turned away from his student to face Celeste, his face twisted in a murderous snarl.

"You overstepped your boundaries today." Piccolo snarled at Celeste. She put a hand to her sword scabbard protectively, tensing. "You had no right, no right at all to pry into Gohan's memories like that. You have installed fear into him, and for that, you will pay." Piccolo narrowed his eyes dangerously. "The first time, I understand, and that I can forgive. The second time, you knew exactly what you were doing. You had planned to do that to him. You knew. This wasn't an accident, this wasn't curiosity, this was intentional harm. That, I cannot and will never forgive." Piccolo picked up his turban, throwing it to the ground. Gohan scrambled for it, catching it and hugging it to his chest for comfort. Piccolo dropped his weighted cape to the ground next, which Gohan used as a blanket.

"Goku, get over here." Piccolo raised an eyebrow at the older Saiyan, who was being held back by Pikkon. Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan, throwing Pikkon off of him. He flew over as fast as he could, almost barreling into his son and knocking him over. Gohan, who had had enough mental torment today, broke down. He started sobbing uncontrollably, clutching at Goku and burying his face in his chest. Goku hugged Gohan close to him, closing his eyes and thanking the Kais that Gohan was here. Just here.

"Take care of Gohan, Goku." Piccolo ordered. Goku looked up, eyebrow raised. "I can handle this... hm. There isn't really a word to describe her. I know a common insult is the word 'bitch', but that is a word that means a female dog." Piccolo mused. "In reality, when you call someone a 'bitch', you're really calling them an animal with sharp claws, even sharper teeth, and that most people are afraid of. And please - she doesn't have any sort of claws, she doesn't pose a threat, and I am not afraid of someone who is much weaker than me." Piccolo allowed the pointed insult to sink in before turning to Gohan's father, Son Goku.

"Where the heck did you find a dictionary to swallow, Piccolo?" Goku cried incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief. Gohan gave off a heart-wrenching whimper, and Goku hugged him closer. Goku shifted his position, sitting crisscross applesauce. He had Gohan sitting in his lap, face buried in his gi. Goku was supporting Gohan's shoulders, his other hand comfortingly rubbing Gohan's back. Instead of speaking, Piccolo pointed at Gohan. Immediately, Goku understood. His son **was** known for being a walking, talking dictionary. Chi-Chi's influence, Goku supposed.

Piccolo turned back to Celeste. Desperately, she flung a hand out and connected with his mind. His worst memory began playing for the whole tournament to watch. It was Piccolo, desperately holding onto Gohan's hand as the boy writhed in agony on the bed. Gohan was clutching at his chest in pain, his eyes shut fiercely. The screams coming from the young boy's throat were the only sound anyone could hear. Piccolo saw himself wince as Gohan crushed his hand. The only other sound in the room was the audible **SNAP** when the bones in Piccolo's hand snapped under the pressure Gohan was applying on them.

Piccolo looked up, accepting the memory and started walking forwards. Other memories played, of him in his worse days, of him fighting Goku, of him meeting Gohan. It all played back, jaws opening at some of the brutality Piccolo had seen and inflicted. He had already come to terms with his past - he did not regret harming those he did, he didn't care at all. He understood that it was wrong, but thought that his acts were justified. Gohan changed him, and he was never one to dwell on the past. He refused to let him haunt him. Celeste had no power over him now.

Piccolo advanced as Celeste drew her sword. She held it out in front of her in a rusty battle stance. Clearly, she had once known how to fight with it, but given up the practice. Now, she still had the power, but she would be easily to throw around. Piccolo cracked his knuckles and his neck, his face emotionless. Inside, he was pleased that he would be able to avenge his pupil. Celeste came running at Piccolo, her sword almost dragging on the ground. She was coming up for a frontal strike. Piccolo sensed something off about the sword, so he did the one thing he had been determined to grill into Gohan - dodge.

As Piccolo moved, the sword cut of it's own accord. The invisible cut line continued for miles, everyone in it's path getting chopped in half. Obviously, since they were all still dead, it didn't matter much. There were some very loud and not-so-nice complaints coming from the direction the sword had cut in. Celeste turned to Piccolo, visibly frustrated. She flung her blonde hair over her shoulder and attacked head-on. She tried cutting Piccolo more than once, but he always dodged. When she swung too far and went flying past Piccolo's head, he grabbed her left leg and threw her. She sailed through the air before finally landing on her back in the ground.

Piccolo was in the air, throwing ki blasts at her. Once the dust rose, he just aimed for her general area. Piccolo waited until the dust had settled to take a check on his opponent. He was slightly out of breath, his arms aching with sudden use. She was still on the ground, and had pulled up the sheath of the sword up to protect herself. Her hair was wild and frizzy, her clothes were ripped and burned, and she had burn marks on her face. She growled, getting up as Goku slammed both his boots into her face. She went flying, digging a hole with her face into the ground as she slid.

"Goku." that word, the tone, and Piccolo's face all contributed to the Saiyan high-tailing it out of there before Piccolo killed him! Piccolo turned to Celeste, as he heard Goku murmuring comforting words to his son. Piccolo rushed at Celeste as she recovered, punching her in the stomach repeatedly. Blood gushed out of her mouth, dripping down her chi and staining her fighting gear. Well, in all honesty, it was just fabric. No armor. She hadn't counted on someone being able to resist her telepathic abilities. She had underestimated Piccolo, and now she would pay for it tenfold.

Piccolo narrowed his eyes once again. "Why did you do what you did?" he asked, voice quiet and neutral. "Gohan did not deserve this. Once more, the first time you pried, I understand your reasons. The second? You had no right. No right at all, you insufferable, sadistic, and cruel 'bitch'."

"I just wanted to know. I did what I had to in order to win my match, right?" Celeste slowly popped her jaw back into the correct place it was supposed to rest. "It was the only option available to me. Gohan was way too powerful to take down on my own. I put Gohan and I together for fighting so I could test his abilities. You trained him-"

"Shut up." Piccolo cut through her words like butter. "No more talking." Piccolo sprung forwards, cursing as the sharp edge of Celeste's sword met his upper arm and elegantly sliced it off. He did a backflip away from her, regrowing his arm. Piccolo could hear behind him Gohan's horrid sobs. They were muffled, because the boy had his face buried in his father's gi, but Piccolo could still hear the pain and fear where love and trust used to be. That thought filled him with a horrible rage as he glared at the person responsible for this - Celeste. A pretty, elf-like creature. She straightened her posture, her sword held out in front of her. Unconsciously, Piccolo unlocked his hidden ki reserves.

He didn't even scream. Didn't even move. The rage burst out from his body in the form of a pure white, dangerous, and exceptionally deadly aura. Celeste's eyes widened as she sensed his ki. She backed up a few steps, a careful look on her face. Piccolo could feel his soul truly merging with Kami's and Nail's. The three were joined, but never had they all been this angry, this in unison about a decision. All three were gunning for Celeste's blood. Piccolo was the strongest of them all, and had the most influence, but all three were furious. Kami held a love for everyone, so he was angry because of Celeste's blatant disregard for others. Nail had had a special relationship with Dende, and Gohan reminded him so, so much of his former student. Piccolo was angry because it was _Gohan_. It was his son that she had harmed. All three refused to allow her to get away with it.

With the support of the other fused Namekians, and with Gohan's cries spurring him onward, Piccolo charged to once and for all, put an end to Celeste.

 _~Piccolo has truly charged into the fray! What will happen next update, next week? It's up for you to try and puzzle out...~_

 **daisukigohan:** Again, sorry it's a day late! Don't kill me, you'll never know what happens next!

 **Ky111:** Yup, yup, and yup! Celeste does need to go, and that is against the rules. Don't worry - I will have someone deal with it. She won't get away with it!

 **squichi:** You are my longest poster, you know that? It's so cool! Gohan definitely needs his Mama Piccolo - and since there's nothing left for Piccolo on Earth, he shall be determined to stay in Otherworld. I'm glad you hate Celeste - I was writing, and I got stumped when I hit the tournament. I had no idea what sort of trouble to cause! And a chapter without trouble is one heck of a boring chapter. So, I introduced Celeste as a bad-guy. You enjoying Celeste getting her butt kicked?

 **sunshineyday:** Oh my gosh, thank you so, so, so much!

 **Stardestoryer5:** Well, I see them as father-son because of how Gohan changed Piccolo. When you think about it, Piccolo was evil. Rotten to the core. And Gohan changed that! I few hundred smiles, a couple compassionate acts (that Gohan doesn't even know Piccolo saw), and bam, Piccolo was a good guy. Also, how do you know Gohan and Piccolo didn't talk in the seven year gap? I bet that they did all the time. We have no idea what went on, and when Gohan went to go see Piccolo on the Lookout, it was a familiar action to him. He had clearly done that more than once over the course of seven years. He was comfortable with Dende, Popo, and Piccolo (he wouldn't have been comfortable with any of them if he hadn't seen them in seven years), and Piccolo wasn't surprised to see him either. I just love Gohan and Piccolo's relationship, so I fit it into every fanfiction!

 **Olivia:** Oh my gosh, thanks so much!

 **TheRealDeal44:** Thank you. So much. Reviewers like you seriously make my day.

 **KingLuxion:** The Tournament will go on, and Gohan will piece himself back together! You'll see. *le winky face*

 **Democracy Prime:** Yeah, a little bit.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Author's Note:**_

...

I know what you're all thinking. 'Should we kill SSJ Mirai Gohan for posting this chapter so late?"

And the answer, may surprise you.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own this show!

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN:**

Celeste was on the ground, beaten and broken. Piccolo had made good on his threat to tear her to pieces. Her ki had dwindled to almost nothing. She could barely summon the energy to breathe, much less get up and fight the Namekian. Piccolo approached, pulling his foot back and smashing it into her already broken ribs. She she rolled away, moaning in pain, he advanced. Celeste looked up, past Piccolo, to Gohan. The boy was crying in emotional turmoil. His father was comforting him, but Goku looked incredibly awkward in the position. There was only one way she could get at Piccolo now. She stretched out her hand towards Gohan, her shaking arm and fingers. She prepared a blast with the last of her ki energy. After this, she would be helpless. She smiled... in the end, she would be the victor. Her blast would send the boy into an endless loop of his worst memories. She would win the fight!

Well... she would have... had Piccolo not stepped on and crushed her fingers. She unleashed a blood-curling scream, writhing in agony. He let up, and she clutched her broken hand to her chest. This wasn't good. Her plan had failed, and now she had an even more ticked off Namekian warrior on her hands! The odds of encountering a Namekian were rare, but they were generally a peaceful and meditative species. The warriors that Namek did manage to spit out, though, were of an incredible calibur. This one was fused with two others... Celeste could see the colours of other's souls. A black soul was evil, a white was pure. Goku's was white, Gohan's was gold, (emotionally unstable/tormented/evil power but pure of heart.) but Piccolo's? Piccolo's was a swirl of gold, white, and small dots of black. Before, they three had been separate, giving definition to the colours. Now, it was one giant, greyish gold swirl.

"You tried to hurt him again." Piccolo murmured. His rage was evident from his face, said face twisted up in a horrendous scowl. "You tried to hurt him again! When will you ever be done?" Piccolo was about to crush her into even littler pieces, but then a thought came to him. He looked over at the security guards of the tournament. "I'm guessing that the brutality she demonstrated was against the rules." Piccolo stated. The guards nodded. "Take her away then." Piccolo snapped. "I have no use for her. She's so broken that she can't even speak correctly, so I doubt she would be able to pose much of a threat against you." The guards nodded and handcuffed Celeste. The handcuffs kept a person's power locked, so she really wouldn't be able to escape.

Piccolo watched Celeste being dragged off to face her trial before he moved to look over at Gohan. The small half-Saiyan was still sobbing, broken cries of agony. He was curled into a ball on the ground now, and refused to allow Goku to touch him. Piccolo gently brushed his mind against Gohan's, seeking for the source of Gohan's pain. Gohan felt worthless and weak, the old pain and fear rearing it's ugly head now that Celeste had brought those memories up. Piccolo squatted down beside Gohan, eyes on his pupil. Gently, he eased his mind into Gohan's consciousness, pushing inner peace and comfort onto the boy. Slowly, Gohan's sobs subsided as he looked up at Piccolo. Piccolo withdrew from his mind, hoping that the boy had calmed down.

Piccolo got his answer when Gohan tackled him and continued balling. No, Gohan had not calmed down. Goku had been panicking, jumping around his son's head and groaning about how Chi-Chi and Piccolo would kill him. He had tried to touch Gohan's shoulder, but Gohan had flung away from Goku. Goku stopped jumping around and stared at Piccolo and Gohan. For a second, Goku couldn't believe that Gohan trusted Piccolo like that. The guy used to be evil, after all. But one look at Piccolo's face cleared his mind of any doubt that Piccolo wanted to hurt Gohan. Piccolo sighed softly and smiled, running his free hand through Gohan's hair. When Gohan didn't shy away, Piccolo slowly hugged him.

Gohan curled his fists into Piccolo's gi like he did when he was a small child. The three Namekians had once been united in anger, now they were united in grief. Kami's energy provided Gohan with a calming presence, helping to stifle the sobs and make the child fall asleep. Piccolo's presence was pure security, making Gohan feel safe and protected. Nail was an extra security blanket, attacking any presence that came too close for comfort. Piccolo gently eased his way into Gohan's mind. The boy was terrified beyond belief. His mind was a mess, reliving his memories while trying to banish them. It was a never-ending cycle for Gohan, who was currently reliving the moment when Recoome broke his neck on Namek.

Gohan had never felt such fear before. Not only was he questioning his past, he was terrified of himself and his powers. He was scared he might lose control and hurt someone... again. Before Gohan could even think of shutting down his ki forever, Mooshi appeared. The imp had been strangely MIA (missing in action) during the tournament, so both Piccolo and Gohan looked up when Mooshi popped into existence. Mooshi took one look at Gohan's face and a scowl erupted on his. He looked over at where Celeste was being loaded into a cage with handcuffs, and he growled. Mooshi materialized a pack of tissues for Gohan, offering them to the half-Saiayn. Gohan took them gratefully and calmed down slightly, wiping his face and runny nose.

"Well." Mooshi said awkwardly. His warty face refused to look at Gohan, his large nose tilted to the side. He had floated down to the ground, his wings still. "You're a mess. I was supposed to be filling out paperwork for your permanent transfer to Otherworld - which I finished, by the way - and yeah. Then I found out about Celeste attacking you in the garden, and I filled out an arrest request. I had hoped it would get through before she had another shot at you, but..." Mooshi shrugged. "You know how things go. You okay, Gohan?" Mooshi came and sat beside Gohan. Gohan was blinking at him, listening to what he was saying. Gohan was currently right in the middle of Piccolo's lap. Piccolo's arms were around his midsection, hugging him close. Gohan was leaning back into Piccolo's chest, playing with his fingers.

"I..." Gohan's voice came out strained and cracked. Goku visibly winced from off to the side. As powerful and kind as he was, the Saiyan just really had no idea what to do in these situations. Gohan cleared his throat and tried again. "I'll be okay. I hope." Gohan mumbled the last bit, looking down at the ground. Mooshi made a gesture to encourage him to keep talking. Gohan looked up at Mooshi and took a deep breath. "I have to relive my memories... or, had to. It's started to fade." Gohan explained. Piccolo smirked at that comment, knowing it was him that was causing the memories to stop playing. "But... I... I still..." Gohan shook his head. "I'm still terrified. What if I lose it again? What if I hurt all of you? I'm dangerous just being here."

"Oh, shut up, you pansy." Mooshi growled flippantly. Piccolo snarled right back, but Mooshi ignored him. Goku's face darkened as he took a threatening step forwards. Mooshi ignored that too. Gohan looked shocked and hurt, so Mooshi quickly changed his tone. "I mean, Gohan... you shouldn't be afraid of your own power. It just isn't right. You are amazing and talented and so many things so many people wish they could be. Your power is an extension of yourself, Gohan. Learn to control it to help people. Why not start by sparring with someone who can teleport? That way, if you get out of hand, poof, they're gone and can send someone who can deal with your ability to deal with it." Mooshi explained.

"I guess that makes sense." Gohan was fully relaxed now, feeling sleepy. Slowly, as the requirement for the fusing of the three Namekians dwindled, their energies separated again. Piccolo smiled down at his student as Gohan yawned and turned on his side. Using Piccolo's chest as a pillow, Gohan fell asleep. Piccolo stood up, carrying Gohan. He had an arm under Gohan's back, supporting him, while his other arm was under Gohan's knees. Gohan was using his chest as a pillow again. Piccolo glanced over at the rows of houses, and Goku finally decided to be useful for ONCE IN HIS CAREER OF FATHERHOOD. Goku led Piccolo to Gohan's personal cabin, seeing that most of his windows were broken in due to nosy Otherworld people. The two disappeared, leaving Mooshi behind.

"So," Mooshi stated. He grabbed the microphone and raised it to his mouth. "Everyone heard that, right? Is there someone who is here who can teleport and would be willing to help train Gohan?" he asked. Two people stood up. To the rest of Otherworld, they were known as the Twins. The Twins, Katrina and Kareene, were female and male, respectively. Katrina was a lithe, small girl built for speed. She had fluffy punk hair that puffed up in a small afro, pink eyes and markings, and completely white skin. (Literally. Think ghost.) Kareene had a short buzzcut of white hair, with white markings and black skin. (Literally. Think Popo.) He was built for power and form, and seemed to be very rooted. Both were teleporters. Mooshi nodded towards the two, recognizing them immediately. He knew that they were Gohan's age – they had died when their planet exploded. But, they had ensured the safety of their race while they died with the planet and their enemy.

They were good people, so they had been given their bodies to continue fighting in Otherworld. They both had a large reputation. Katrina was known for speed and kindness. Her brother, Kareene was known for strength and overprotectiveness for his sister. They were linked telepathically, and their own person agent was someone Mooshi could tolerate. He nodded slowly, accepting them into the job.

"Now," Mooshi said. "Who's gonna tell Piccolo that he has to leave?" all of the current residents of Otherworld looked at each other, wide-eyed. Soon, a loud chorus of "Not it!"s echoed through the tournament field. An argument then broke out, each person wanting someone to deal with the "rabid Namekian".

 **With Piccolo, Goku, and Gohan at Gohan's cabin.**

Piccolo laid Gohan gently down on the bed, then floated beside the bed in a meditative position. Goku was standing awkwardly in the doorway, unsure of what to do. Honestly, comforting people just wasn't his thing. He used to be good at comforting Gohan, when Gohan was really little. A hit of guilt slammed into Goku's stomach, feeling like a punch to the gut. When had he started valuing a fight over his son's life? Goku shook his head, wondering when it had truly happened. When he had gone Super Saiyan? No, he had valued his fight Ginyu. When he fought Vegeta? No, before even that. Goku remembered how he had asked Gohan to fight Vegeta while he was giving the energy to Krillin. Maybe it was after Piccolo trained Gohan. Goku guessed that he had assumed that Gohan could take care of himself from that point on. Maybe physically, but Goku had failed to see that Gohan was still a child mentally.

"Piccolo, I'm sorry." Goku said. Piccolo cracked an eye open to look over at Gohan. His face was neutral. "I… put Gohan in danger when I shouldn't have. I should have dealt with Celeste then and there when she did it the first time, but I didn't. And even before that! I'm sorry I made Gohan fight Cell and I'm sorry that he had to face Frieza and the Ginyus and Vegeta and Nappa." Goku shook his head, staring at the ground.

"It isn't me you should be apologizing to." Piccolo finally said after a moment of silence. "But I don't think that Gohan would accept your apology, either. He blames himself for all those instances, and you were either too busy training, dead, or gone to find out." Piccolo said brutally. "But there's something else we have to talk about." Piccolo said. "I'm staying here. There's no way I'm leaving Gohan again. I don't care who I have to go through, I'm staying for Gohan. You understand?" Piccolo growled. "If I have to get a hole blasted through me while I'm here for me to STAY here. I won't leave Gohan alone." to Piccolo's surprise, Goku merely nodded, understanding. Goku had started to regrow his relationship with Gohan again, and was hit with a surge of overprotectiveness every time Gohan looked worried. He knew Piccolo would help, not hinder.

"Alright." Goku nodded. They both paused at a knock on the door, opening it. Standing there was Mooshi, Katrina, and Kareene. Kareene had his arms crossed and was standing behind his sister like a bodyguard.

"Goku, hi, I'm Mooshi, Gohan's personal assistant." Mooshi said dismissively, letting himself in. "The people behind me are Katrina and Kareene – Katrina had the pink hair, Kareene has the black, Popo-like skin." Mooshi explained. "Both are teleporters and they've agreed to help train your son. They can get in close enough until Gohan unleashes his inner power, then teleport out fast enough that Gohan can try to control it. They're really good at what they do."

"Hi." Everyone turned at the sound of the small boy's voice. Gohan was sitting up on the bed, curiosity written across his face. "I'm Gohan, it's nice to meet you." He held his hand out to Katrina and Kareene. Katrina clasped it with both of her hands, smiling warmly at him.

"Hi Gohan!" she giggled. "We're the same age as you, you know? Or… I think we're a year or so older. Anyways! We're gonna help train you. Is that alright?" her marks glowed pink with her excitement, lighting up her face. Gohan merely nodded, smiling gratefully at her.

"We saw your memories." Kareene said. He was staring at Gohan curiously, the only emotion he had displayed since his introduction. "I have similar ones." Kareene held out his hand to Gohan, a strange look on his face. "I've never had a friend besides my sister before… perhaps we can be friends. I mean, if that's okay. Well, why wouldn't it be okay? I mean, Uhm…" Kareene blushed. His face lit up with white, due to his skin being pitch black.

"Definitely." Gohan accepted Kareene's handshake, laughing as Katrina jumped around in excitement and hugged both Gohan and Kareene, crushing the two pre-teens. As Kareene and Gohan sweat dropped and struggled to escape her choke hold, Gohan felt only contentment. He felt his face start to turn blue while he laughed inwardly. He had found his first real friends!

 **Will training with Katrina and Kareene help Gohan? Will he ever truly recover? And more importantly, who wins the tournament? Find out next time, on DBZ: Crossroads!**

 **daisukigohan:** Please don't kill me.

 **Gohanforever:** Thank you so so much!

 **Ky111:** Yup. Celeste is definitely learning her place. And like Piccolo said - he's staying, whether King Yemma likes it or not.

 **Animefangirl365:** Oh, I know. But this is my fanfiction, you know, and I thought I could use that ability for some amusement. In this fanfiction, the only way a dead person can "die" again is to be in the material world and get killed. If they're killed in Otherworld/Hell/Heaven, they're fine.

 **sunshineyday:** Has it really been... a month... daisukigohan's gonna kill me, then revive me with the Dragon Balls, then kill me again! DX

 **Dragon Queen Niji:** Feel better?

 **squichi:** No, I love long reviews! Did you like this chapter?

 **black nuber:** A little bit! See, Gohan has this hidden power inside of him. It makes him incredibly strong when he unlocks it. Unfortunately, his Saiyan blood is driving, and his Saiyan side likes to kill and torment. So, he's afraid of using his power because of his Saiyan blood.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Author's Note:**_

Don't kill me. Seriously.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own the show!

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN: (seriously. What. When did this happen?! Last I checked, we were on chapter one!)**

It had been one week since the accident at the training grounds. Celeste was in prison, Piccolo was allowed to stay, (more like he threatened the officials into letting him stay) and Goku couldn't be happier. Today was the day that Gohan would start training with Katrina and Kareene, the mysterious teleporting twins. Gohan was currently in one of his Piccolo gis, the purple fabric loose, the white cape flowing behind him. Gohan had both fists clenched as he stared the twins down. He squatted down, before standing up and releasing a blood curling scream. When the ground began shaking, it seemed as if all time had stopped. No one was able to stop the storm of power that was known as Gohan.

Katrina's eyes opened wide as her and her pink afro were blown backwards. Her pink marks glowed as she disappeared, reappearing a safe distance away. Kareene, being the larger one, stood his ground and refused to be blown away. A golden aura enveloped Gohan, sparkling to life. It was a raging fire, consuming the body of the boy. His screams were being torn from his throat as the earth below him was blown away, succumbing to his will. Kareene was gaping openly at the smaller boy. Kareene was slightly worried about Gohan - his screams made it sound like he was going through horrible pain. And it wouldn't stop! Both were slightly on edge, waiting with bated breath.

Neither of the Twins had sensed a power like this before. It was insane. The boy quickly went from Super Saiyan to Super Saiyan Two, lightning crackling around his small form. Kareene shielded his eyes from the dust storm picking up, teleporting back to his sister. The twins watched in awe as Gohan unleashed one final scream, gold exploding into the sky above them. The onlookers were blinded, everyone having to avert their eyes. When Kareene and Katrina looked again, Gohan appeared to be floating midair. His ki wouldn't stop rising. It was above the maximum that they were told to expect, his aura spiking. His hair stood on end, rising up in the air, but leaving one rebellious streak to hang over his eyes.

His eyes were an electric blue, his hair was pure, shining gold. But what confused the twins the most was when Gohan turned towards them. His rebellious streak turned red for a moment, blood red waves coming off his aura for just a split second. They saw his eyes flash a pastel green, red flaring out from every part of his body. In tune with his heartbeat, red waves came off of Gohan, his hair flashing red, his eyes flashing pastel green. The power surge just kept growing as Gohan fought with himself for control over the power. The twins watched, ready to teleport out of there to get someone in case something went wrong. Gohan closed his eyes as he flew up into the air.

His body felt like it was made of molasses, like it was heavy enough that he couldn't move it. Gohan decided he would try to experiment, and started throwing random punches at the air. His fists extended as he threw his weight forwards, his shoulders turning with his arms. His back muscles ripped as he kicked off midair, using his ki to stabilize himself. He flipped backwards, turning in the middle of his flip and kicking out. He stood on his hands, whipping around with his legs and smashing the heads of invisible opponents in. He pretended to hook his leg around some guy's neck, swinging himself forwards. If he used this in battle, he would be sitting on someone's shoulders. He pretended to punch them several times before flipping off.

Gohan swung his leg around, slowly increasing his ki. He screamed as his ki spiked, and he lost control. Gohan curled up on himself, his eyes darkening to the sick shade of blue that haunted everyone who he had ever faced. He stood, smirking, the power running through every current in his body. Immediately, everyone in Otherworld could feel Gohan lose control, due to the change in Gohan's ki. Katrina bit her lip nervously, being able to sense the change. She flew forwards, ignoring the worried calls of her brother. Katrina's pink afro was flying around in the wind as she activated her powers, disappearing and reappearing beside Gohan. As he extended his leg for a kick to her head, his eyes widened.

Gohan backed off, his leg freezing in place. Katrina didn't dare to move, allowing Gohan's compassionate nature to battle with the monster within. She watched as Gohan's eyes lightened slightly, recognition shining in them. She watched as Gohan stayed still, letting his power go. It dripped off his fingers like water, the gold disappearing from his form. His hair turned black again, his eyes darkened, and his whole form became smaller. Gohan's eyes rolled up in his head as he almost passed off, freefalling to the ground below. Katrina flew downwards to catch her new friend, smiling towards Kareene. The male understood, and soon, two sets of marks were glowing.

As Goku yelled and Otherworld panicked, Kareene and Katrina disappeared. They generally didn't like being around the other citizens of Otherworld, and had built their own little cabin that they stayed in. It was in the core of Otherworld. Obviously, only the teleporters were able to reach it, and there were none who knew about their little place. Kareene gently took Gohan from Katrina. As Kareene brought Gohan towards the house, the boy woke up. Gohan sat up in Kareene's arms, groaning as he rubbed his forehead. His eyes were closed, clearly nursing one hell of a headache. Katrina grinned while Kareene put Gohan down. Gohan promptly sat down, too dizzy to stand at the moment.

"What... what happened?" Gohan asked, groaning. "Last thing I remember is losing control... and then you were there." Gohan pointed at Katrina, blinking at both of them with his dark ebony eyes. Fear flashed in them briefly, his gaze locking on Katrina. "You! I could have killed you! What the heck were you thinking?! Do you have any idea how dangerous I am when I get like that? I could have easily killed you back there. Katrina, I know you're adventurous, but that's going what too far. I could have hurt you... are you hurt anywhere?! Oh my gosh, this isn't good... I mean, you could have been seriously-" Gohan was cut off and Katrina clapped her hand over his mouth.

"Listen, Gohan, I'm fine. That was you attacking. You know how I know? You didn't even make my hair move. You stopped as soon as you saw it was me - you never even touched me. That's how I know that was you attacking, not some monster. This power of yours isn't a bad thing, Gohan. It's never been a bad thing. You just need to learn to control it. But that's what Kareene and I are here for! We'll try our best to be as strong as you." Katrina put her hand out, offering it to Gohan. "We don't know each other much, but I'd really like to be friends with you, if you don't mind, Gohan. Kareene will be friends too! And trust me when I saw Kareene doesn't make friends easily." Katrina winked at a speechless Gohan.

"That's true, Gohan. I have a hard time trusting people." Kareene stepped forwards, smiling. "I've always had a bit of a sixth sense for when someone isn't to be trusted, and so many people have given me a bad feeling. However, you give me a good feeling. I would quite honestly like to be friends with you, Gohan. I sense a good nature from you." Kareene took a deep breath, looking away, a white blush appearing on his ebony skin. "Sorry." he mumbled. "I'm not good at these deep meaning speeches. That's more of Katrina's thing. She's a people person, I'm a... **punch** people person." Kareene said, rubbing the back of his neck and averting his eyes from Gohan. He looked back at Gohan as the boy laughed.

"That's fine. Hi Katrina, hi Kareene. I'm Gohan, the boy with a monster within." Gohan said, extending his hand and chuckling darkly. Kareene smiled and pulled Gohan to his feet while Katrina smacked Gohan in the back of the head, giving Gohan a lecture as to how there was no monster, only Gohan. Kareene shook Gohan's hand as Katrina got distracted by his hair. Both boys sweatdropped at Katrina - she was rifling through Gohan's wild mane of hair. It seemed like she was looking for bugs, but she was actually testing how strong Gohan's hair was. It was incredibly strong, but at the same time, silky as it ran through her fingers. Kareene raised an eyebrow while Gohan shrugged, unsure.

"Hm. Piccolo's gonna kill you both." Gohan said absently. The twins froze, looking at him with horror in their eyes. They both had had a front row seat to Piccolo's rage mode against Celeste. "I mean, you did sort of kidnap me. He really hates it when people do that." Gohan continued, conversing as if they were talking about the weather, not the potential murder of Kareene and Katrina. "There was this one time Garlic Jr showed up, AGAIN, and Piccolo kicked his minions around because they picked me up. Then there was that time where Garlic Jr kidnapped me a few years earlier, and Piccolo came to rescue me, even though he didn't know me at the time! Jeez, kidnapped twice and by the same guy. Where would I be..." Gohan trailed off, seeing their terrified expressions. "Guys?"

"He's... gonna..." Katrina started.

"Kill us!" Kareene finished flawlessly. As Kareene collapsed to his knees in horror, Katrina threw herself at Gohan's feet, locking onto the boy's shin and demanding that Gohan stop Piccolo from murdering them. Kareene appeared to be in shock while Katrina was balling, blubbering about wanting to live.

"Guys! Guys!" Gohan yelled, trying to calm them both down. Failing to calm them both down, more like it.

" **I WAS KIDDING!** "

 _~Next time on Crossroads, Gohan is actually kidnapped again and forced into Hell against his will. With things going so badly, can Gohan's new friends (+Mama Piccolo) save their friend? Find out, next time!~_

 **Ky111:** I'm glad you liked it! I've always seen Gohan losing control because his power was evil, so that's sort of what I'm focusing on in here. Hehe! })

 **jbird2352:** Thank you!

 **Dragon Queen Niji:** Oh, I'm so glad you understand. Anyways, here's the next chapter! Do you like this one?

 **daisukigohan:** Don't kill me. Seriously - you'll never know what happens next.

 **sunshineyday:** Do you like this chapter?

 **Patachu:** Eh, probably not. Earthlings are doing absolutely nothing. I find Gohan and his new friends much more interesting. ^.^


	15. Chapter 15

_**Author's Note:**_

It's earlier than last time!

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own. If I claimed to, I would have to burn the lawyer books.

 **CHAPTER FIFTEEN: (seriously. What the hell. Didn't I JUST start this?)**

Turns out, Piccolo really did want to kill them. First, he basically jumped on Gohan and hid him, and then Piccolo went for Katrina and Kareene. The teleporting twins managed to get away, but only barely. Poor Gohan was stuck under that tree for a long time while Piccolo screamed and raged. It was quite the eye-opening experience for the whole population of Otherworld. Everyone now understood not to mess with the young half-Saiyan, as he had several strong protectors who would rip you limb from limb. Goku had tried to stop Piccolo, and failed. One glare from the enraged Namekian had sent Goku hiding under the tree with Gohan for the rest of Piccolo's rage quit on life. After several explosions, and much yelling, Piccolo finally let Gohan out from under the tree.

Right now, it was one day after Piccolo's rage quit. Katrina and Kareene basically tip-toed around Piccolo and watched him like he would try to kill them again. Knowing Piccolo, he probably would. Gohan looked around awkwardly. Piccolo had basically forced him to stay in the house since Piccolo "rescued" Gohan from Kareene and Katrina. They were seated at Gohan's cottage, at the big kitchen table. Goku was digging into his breakfast, Piccolo was drinking a glass of water, and Gohan was staring awkwardly down at his food. For some reason, the half-Saiyan wasn't hungry. Gohan looked out the window and blinked, wondering what was wrong with him. Gohan rested his head in his hand as Goku and Piccolo both paused to watch him.

"Gohan!" Gohan's head snapped up as someone called his name. The boy tensed, snapping in the direction of the voice. It was just Kareene, and Gohan relaxed, breathing steadily. "Gohan, we have to go!" Kareene said, grabbing Gohan's arm. Gohan opened his mouth to ask why, when Kareene teleported them out of there. Kareene landed outside the house and started running, dragging Gohan with him. Gohan was yelling in alarm when his cottage exploded. Goku and Piccolo jumped from the wreckage as Frieza tackled Piccolo and Cell kicked Goku into a mountain. Gohan's eyes widened, panic flaring from his stomach and spreading out. He started screaming his throat raw, desperate to get to his family. He screamed with all the power of one being torn from what he loved, and it hurt Kareene to have to ignore him. Gohan blinked away the tears as Goku and Piccolo locked in combat with the evil forces.

Gohan felt like disappearing into the ground, trying to hide the scene from view. For some reason, the forces of Hell were much stronger than they used to be. The world seemed to slow down for Gohan - he watched a drop of blood fall from Piccolo's body as his mentor was slammed into the ground. Gohan's eyes followed the drop down, until it hit the ground. The blood seemed to splash, and when it did, Gohan's inner monster woke. He could feel the power curling around him, whispering promises of power in his ears. He could barely hear Kareene screaming over the sound of his own power. His eyes widened, his purple gi rippling with the wind. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. Nothing moved, as the panic took Gohan over and sparked a fire that would destroy all of humanity left unchecked.

The boy could feel his body moving against his will, as Gohan brought his hands to the sides of his head and screamed. His back arched as he and Kareene fell. Gohan hit the ground - all he could focus on now was the pain. Gohan's mind retreated to it's safe place, a dark corner in his consciousness. As a small, four-year-old child, Gohan sat and hugged his knees to his chest. He was waiting the chains, for they always came. They did this time as well, and despair filled the small boy. Gohan gave up - there was never any use fighting. If he did fight the power, fight the chains, fight the Saiyan inside... he would be destroyed while watching his friends and family die. He had never fought back after the first couple times.

Gohan's little head rose as his black haired rippled, looking up at the golden, glowing chains that slowly circled him. They captured his wrists, his ankles, and his neck. They tightened, the small boy burying his head in his knees. He could never take it. He hated this - hated it! Gohan let out a sob, despair colouring the world around him. His little corner turned pitch black, nothing getting through to him. The chains began glowing, warming Gohan with their light. He waited for the pain - he always did. There was never any use fighting. Gohan looked up, watching the chain on his little lit-up wrist. Suddenly, the air became thick, as if he was drowning underwater. Gohan felt a tear escape his left eye, as there was nothing he could do but sit there hopelessly.

Back in the real, outside world, Kareene was desperately trying to pull Gohan to safety. He and Katrina often teleported to Hell to check up on things, and they had recently discovered that some of the worse villains were planning to kidnap Gohan and kill Goku. Apparently, people hated the Son family. Katrina had freaked out, and was currently locked in battle with some guy with really, really long hair. The weirdo also kept laughing and telling Katrina he was the strongest Saiyan in the world while Katrina just hit him every time he started bragging. Kareene had been assigned to bodyguard for Gohan. No way were those stupid criminals coming anywhere near his friend! Kareene was worried about Gohan, though - the boy had started screaming a little while ago, and had just stopped. Now he was just shaking, his eyes flashing from black to blue.

Kareene tried to pull Gohan away as a weird purple frog guy swooped for him. It wasn't until several Saiyans landed that Kareene knew he was in trouble. He put Gohan down and moved to protect his friend. A female Saiyan stood further away, her tail puffed up in excitement. She had pretty, spiky hair and a gentle look on her face. She was holding an arm to her chest, and watching the scene. Another female Saiyan, one with short hair and pink armor, was sizing Kareene up. A fatter Saiyan started laughing while a slightly taller one smacked the fat one, telling him to shut up. The leader had hair exactly like Goku's, except with a bloodstained red bandanna.

"Bardock..." the female Saiyan staying behind was looking on with wide eyes, staring at Gohan. 'Bardock, your vision was true. We... we have a grandson." the female Saiyan took a step forwards while Kareene gaped at her. He was surprised, to say the least. This was Gohan's family?! Chances were, Gohan didn't know about it. Kareene set his mouth in a firm line as the lead Saiyan turned around to look at the female in the back. The female met the leader's eyes, biting her lip. "I didn't know that Frieza and Cell... wanted our grandson as a hostage." she said coldly. "I can't believe this... but it's take him or die." she stepped forwards. "We can't do anything. They want to kill Kaka... or, I guess he prefers to be called Goku now." she said.

"It's unfortunate, but the boy's a Saiyan. Or half, I believe. That's more than enough Saiyan blood to figure out a way to escape once we deal with this..." the lead Saiyan glanced distastefully at Kareene. "Riff-raff." the lead said, which made Kareene bristle. "We have to get the kid. He just needs a bit of tough love." the leader stepped forwards, and Kareene stepped up. The ebony-skinned teenager slipped into a battle stance, refusing to give any ground in defending his friend. The lead smirked as the Saiyans surrounded Kareene. Kareene gulped and looked around, clearly realizing he would not get any backup any time soon. Piccolo was getting his ass handed to him by Frieza, and Goku was barely keeping up with Cell. Oddly enough, these villains seemed more powerful now.

"I won't let you anywhere near Gohan." Kareene vowed. He watched as the female Saiyan staying back repeated Gohan's name, blinking as the unfamiliar sound rolled off her tongue. Kareene growled and moved to protect his friend. "Besides, Gohan could take you all on! He's a super Saiyan!" Kareene said, narrowing his eyes. This made the other Saiyans pause and stare at Gohan in shock. "He's got no control, and potentially limitless power." Kareene said, refusing to break eye contact with the leader. Horror dawned in the leader's eyes as he looked from Kareene to Gohan, whose eyes were still changing colours. "In fact, he's a real handful when he gets mad. Right now, he's probably battling with his inner demons. You don't stand a chance against him!"

"Shut up." the voice was so quiet, Kareene almost didn't hear it. The Saiyans did, with their advanced hearing. But it carried power, and forced Kareene to turn to look at his friend. Gohan was standing, his eyes an eerie blue colour. He stared daggers at the Saiyans, stepping forwards and pushing Kareene out of the way. Gohan shoved Kareene behind him. All Kareene could do was fall to the ground and watch as his friend approached his extended family and race. "Shut up." Gohan repeated. "You won't harm my friend. If I go with you," Gohan's nails bit into his palms, watching as blood pooled and dripped off his hands, trying to control his inner demons. "Will you withdraw and leave my family alone?"

The female Saiyan in the back stepped forwards, a hand over her heart. Almost immediately, Kareene stood up and opened his mouth to protest, but Gohan glared at him. That shut him up - as Gohan's eyes conveyed his message. One eye was blue, one was black. He had a fiery rage raging in his eyes, but it looked like he was desperately trying to keep his power under control. Kareene sat back down, stunned by the amount of raw pain in Gohan's eyes. Kareene could only watch as Gohan stepped forwards to greet the female Saiyan. She reached out and touched his face gingerly. The shock in her eyes was evident when Gohan flinched away, the fire in his eyes exploding away from him as the rocks and sticks on the ground were thrown away from him due to his aura.

Gohan turned to look at the Saiyans again, watching as they surrounded him.

"Show us your power." the leader said softly. "I want to know what a super Saiyan looks like, if that one over there was speaking the truth." the leader said, narrowing his eyes. Gohan looked over at the leader, and nodded softly. Gohan look a breath, widening his stance. He dipped his head and focused on his breathing. The fire in his eyes exploded once more, a golden aura appearing around his body. The Saiyans all gaped as the boy raised his head, his hair spiking upwards. It floated midair, golden lights flowing in it, before it turned gold completely. His eyes turned from black to a steady blue, his aura exploding away from his body and almost blinding everyone nearby. Once the dust settled, Gohan stood tall and proud. He turned to face the leader, his hair shining like the sun.

"This good enough?" he asked, his voice rough. The leader nodded and watched in barely concealed awe as Gohan powered down and took a breath. The leader stepped forwards and offered a pair of handcuffs, which Gohan accepted. The boy attached the cuffs to his wrists, bowing his head as his now black hair relaxed and fell in it's usual palm-tree shape. The leader signaled to Cell and Frieza, who were attacking Goku and Piccolo together. They looked over, and flew towards the Saiyans as a black hole appeared in the ground. It had a swirling, dark feel to it. Gohan's hair whipped around in the wind as he looked down into the hole, before he was roughly shoved in by Cell.

" **GOHAN!** " both Goku and Piccolo cried at the same time. They tried to launch themselves forward to save their friend, but Gohan had already fallen. The criminals of Hell had followed, and the portal closed just as Goku made contact with the ground. Piccolo, slower, caught the older Saiyan as Goku bounced off the ground.

"What now?" Kareene asked, as he and Katrina approached Goku and Piccolo. Piccolo was staring holes in the ground where the portal used to be, while Goku fell to his knees and started screaming in grief.

"Isn't it obvious?" Piccolo turned his piercing (read: terrifying) gaze at Katrina and Kareene, who flinched and scurried away. "We rescue Gohan."

 _~Will the team be able to rescue Gohan, or is the boy doomed to being a hostage in Hell forever?~_

 **daisukigohan:** Please don't.

 **Patachu:** Yeah! The criminals of Hell are about to learn that the hard way... o.o

 **SoroTheAndroid:** XD

 **Dragon Queen Niji:** Thanks so much! And yup, I did do that there. Did you like this chapter?

 **vishwakarmarahul735:** Yes, and he'll become much more powerful. })

 **Ky111:** Yup yup! This trip to Hell will actually help him. :3

 **Guest:** Hm... Gohan having a girlfriend... it isn't actually something I considered. Well, the answer is no. He won't have a girlfriend, because of the ending I have planned! Muahahahahahahaha!

 **edo:** No Videl? No problem. No Videl!


	16. Chapter 16

_**Author's Note:**_

Crossroads is now being updated every Monday! Everyone cheer!

 **Disclaimer:** All I own is... the manga books I've bought? .

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN:**

Gohan was sitting in his room, wrists and ankles locked together. He sighed, shaking his head, barely able to keep the rage in his belly and not down everyone else's throats. He was sick of being in here, being with these Saiyans. He was nothing like them! Some of the other warriors had already tried to exchange battle tips, but he had stubbornly refused to talk. Now, that female Saiyan who was called Gine wouldn't leave him alone. She was sitting in his room, and had been for hours. She wouldn't stop staring at him. She probably wanted to get to know her supposed grandson, but Gohan was having none of it. He looked down distastefully at his gi, silently mourning it's ripped state.

"Why won't you speak to us?" Gine asked, her voice gentle. She leaned down, trying to talk to him. She had tried for hours, but Gohan refused to crack. Gine was feeling depressed, honestly - she had finally met her lost son, Kakarot, to only find that he hated her, and now her grandson wouldn't even say a word to her! What had she done wrong? "All we want to do is talk. We're interested in you. You're the only Saiyan who's actually new we've ever seen. When your whole race has died and are all in the same place, you kind of get tired of the same voices and faces year after year." Gine laughed, then peeked at her grandson, who refused to show any emotion on his face. Gine sighed and looked away - truthfully, she was scared of the power her grandson had displayed earlier.

"I am not like you." Gohan's voice was so quiet, Gine almost missed it. Her head snapped to the side as she stared at him and hoped he would say something else. She looked excited about Gohan finally speaking, but that excitement faded out as she realized what he had said. "I am not like you." Gohan repeated. "I refuse to be anything like you." the young boy's ebony eyes locked with her's, and Gine felt fear. Fear, and... grief. But the grief was pouring out of Gohan. "Saiyan blood is what drove me to being a monster." the boy's whisper was barely audible. "Saiyans have attacked my home, killed my friends, and murdered many I don't even know about. it makes me angry that there are other species of people that I'll never get to meet, because of you."

"Gohan..." Gine said, her hands shaking slightly. The boy looked lost, defeated. His palm-tree shaped black hair hung around his face, hiding his eyes from view. His gi was ripped, letting Gine see scars that a boy his age shouldn't have. Even if he had grown up as a Saiyan, he shouldn't have scars like this at only eleven. She noticed one particularly large one on his shoulder, and barely stopped her eyes from bugging out of her head. It was huge, like he had almost gotten his arm torn off! The room was dark, a fairly large size. It just had a large bed and a dresser in it, the furniture dark and grey. The chair Gine was sitting in she had dragged in. She continued looking over her grandson, who's hands fisted and he started shaking, before looking up and meeting her eyes.

"I'm done putting up with this." he snarled. Gohan stood up, wind lashing around his body. Soon, King Vegeta flanked by Bardock entered the room. Gohan gave them a narrowed glare, pulling his wrists apart. The cuffs strained, then snapped. He did the same to his ankles, crushing the metal in his hand and holding the fist towards the King as the crushed metal fell from his hands. Bardock was desperately trying to tell Gohan to shut up, drawing a line over his throat, but Gohan refused to listen. King Vegeta walked towards the boy, snarling. The Saiyan King tried to punch Gohan, tried to bring the boy to his knees. Gohan caught the punch, easily throwing King Vegeta to the floor. The walls crumbled under the weight of the Saiyan King, rubble hitting the ground.

At the same time, a girl teleported into the room. Gine opened her mouth in shock, as Bardock rushed forwards and tried to grab Gohan before it was too late. The new girl had frizzy, afro-like pink hair, with completely white skin. She narrowed her eyes, her pink markings glowing as she grabbed Gohan. Soon, she disappeared, and Bardock crashed to the ground where Gohan and the girl used to be. Gine rushed to his side as explosions rang across the castle. She looked out the window, watching as it crumbled. A green skinned being was flying around screaming about how many times his son had been kidnapped. Everyone sweatdropped as the Namekian seemed to rage quit with life, things blowing up and going skyward. The Namekian was soon engaged by Frieza, who he fought with every last fibre of his body.

All the Saiyans winced as Frieza was cut in half, with the Namekian yelling; " **YOU SHOULD SPLIT!** " the Namekian began laughing manically, hacking Frieza up into several pieces. The Saiyans watched in open-mouthed awe, Cell running out and demanding to fight the Namekian. The green skinned creature stepped forwards and fought Cell, knocking him into the ground and blasting him with a explosive ki blasts. The Saiyans could only watch as the Namekian completely (and quite literally) blew Cell and Frieza out of the water with his rage. Gine watched as the girl with pink hair appeared and basically threw Gohan at the Namekian. The rage immediately shut down and turned into concern as he hugged the small boy, burying his face in the black Saiyan mane.

Gine watched as the Namekian pulled away and asked something of the boy. Gohan nodded, and smiled a smile that Gine thought she'd never see on his face. Gohan looked happier than she had ever seen him in the short time she had known him. He looked absolutely radiant, like the sun was hiding behind his eyes, and blinded everyone when he was happy. Both Gine and Bardock paused, seeing that look on Gohan's face. The boy seemed like... nothing could hurt him now. He was completely invincible as long as he had his friends and his family around him. Gine watched Gohan turn and lock eyes with her. His ebony gaze was careful, like he was walking on ice. He caught Bardock's eye and drew a line across his throat, imitating his grandfather. Bardock blushed in embarrassment.

Gohan turned away and latched onto the Namekian's cape, laughing. Even across the clearing, Gohan's bell-like laugh rang across Frieza and Cell's castle. They all disappeared when the girl with pink hair teleported them out of there, the Saiyans and residents of Hell left speechless. Right now, everyone was recapping of what had just happened. Okay... Gohan captured. Goku did not actually show up, even after a few hours. Namekian showed up, rage quit on life, and started beating everyone who he could see up. Girl with pink hair appeared. Girl with pink hair and Gohan disappeared, then reappeared in front of said Namekian. Said Namekian stopped rage quitting at the sight of Gohan, then they all disappeared together.

It was one weird day.

They all ventured outside, deciding it was safe enough. That is, until Fasha stepped on a mine. Everyone scattered as the female Saiyan was coated head-to-toe with green goopy goo. The goo had spread, and was now coating every Saiyan present. The words "I know I deserve an encore. -Gohan" flashed briefly in the sky before disappearing. Bardock looked like he was going to stab someone, Gine was sniffing the goo, Fasha cracked her knuckles, while King Vegeta was trying to get it out of his (once immaculate) beard. Everyone had a new opinion of Gohan...

 _That little shit._ was the common thought among the Saiyans for the time being.

 **(back in Otherworld!)**

"You are literally such an idiot." Kareene raised an eyebrow as he finished his lecture. For last few minutes as the citizens of Hell contemplated their lack of power compared to Piccolo, Kareene had been yelling at Gohan. The ebony-skinned male had been shaking poor Gohan back and forth, while Katrina hid and chuckled. Piccolo looked about ready to murder Kareene when the teleporter backed off. Goku was standing a little ways away, chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head. Goku watched gratefully as his son interacted with his new friends and mentor. Tomorrow, Goku was determined to train Gohan. He would have to. Seriously, how many times had Gohan been kidnapped by now?

"Hey, Gohan." Goku approached his son, blinking softly. Gohan turned to face him, tilting his head slightly. Goku put his hand on Gohan's shoulder, smiling warmly down at his son. "We're going to train tomorrow, okay? I have a feeling that there's something beyond Super Saiyan Three! You can get stronger with me, okay?" Goku asked. Goku's heart swelled with hope as Gohan nodded eagerly. "Katrina and Kareene can join us too. That way, everyone can become stronger, right? I talked to the tournament guy, and he said that it would continue in seven years. They want everyone to have a chance to train, and that way, Piccolo can become officially registered."

"Sounds awesome, Dad!" Gohan hugged Goku. Goku, surprised by the sudden hug attack, smiled as he hugged his son back. Inside, Goku was tearing himself up. Gohan wouldn't age now. Seven years would pass, and Gohan would still be here, never aging. He would remain eleven forever. It was all Goku's fault, for getting that virus, and destroying Gohan's chance at life. "I don't mind, you know." Gohan said. Goku looked down in surprise at his son. "I like it here. Here, no one judges me for what I like." Gohan looked up to meet Goku's eyes. "I have two new friends who are my age... and even though I miss Dende and Krillin and Mom, Mister Piccolo's here too. And so are you! If I had survived, I would still have wanted to see you. It's okay, Dad."

"Thanks, Gohan." Goku smiled as he hugged his son. Gohan tore away from him and launched himself at Piccolo. Piccolo, completely taken off guard, lifted his arms to catch the boy, his ears back, and a furious blush across his face. Piccolo caught Gohan, looking away from his pupil with a happy twinkle in his eyes. Katrina, deciding to test her boundaries, started teasing Piccolo about actually being a huge softy. Piccolo blushed and glared at her, yelling and trying to deny her claims. He was **NOT** a softy! It was Gohan was the softy! However, Piccolo wasn't fooling anyone. Kareene chuckled behind a hand as Piccolo yelled at Katrina, ears back and a blush spreading to the tips of his ears as Gohan snuggled into his shoulder.

All Goku knew was that he wouldn't trade his new family for anything.

 _~Next time, everyone's favourite demi-Saiyan discovers his Mystic form. What will happen when Gohan accidentally summons the Z Sword?~_

 **daisukigohan:** Hehe.

 **vishwakamarahul735:** Yup! Did you like his bomb?

 **Ky111:** Yup! Did you like this chapter?

 **Gohanbaby:** Okay, here's the plan:

{[ **SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SPOIL THE STORY, DO NOT READ PAST THIS POINT! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!** ]}

So, basically, Gohan is going to summon the Z Sword and unlock his Mystic form. Old Kai was pretty useless, so the Z Sword is actually going to be useful. *gasp* The Z Sword is super powerful that Gohan will use, and then Buu attacks. Goku is called to help, but Gohan has to stay in Otherworld. He basically rages about it, (his physical appearance will change. That I will keep to myself as to what he does to his hair!) and refuses to stand by. Katrina and Kareene go with him, and they teleport just in as Goku is about to get clobbered right in front of everyone. Gohan starts fighting Buu, and manages to hold him off long enough for Katrina and Kareene to get everyone out of there. When they do, Gohan has already injured Buu enough that Buu had to retreat. That's all I'll reveal for now, as the ending is mine to know and mine alone... I'll warn you right now for the feels though. Those are going to get intense as the fanfiction continues. I don't think it's going to be a happy ending like you wanted, Gohanbaby... you'll have to see.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Author's Note:**_

Thanks for reading, guys!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the show, the manga, or any sort of merchandise... so sad... :'(

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: (omg.)**

Gohan was sitting back on his hands, after taking a break from training. It had been seven years since he was kidnapped and taken to Hell, but Gohan had barely noticed any sort of time passing. Otherworld was Gohan's source of contentment, where he could be assured that all was right with the world. It was a good feeling, and Gohan enjoyed being here very much. He knew it had been seven years, but Gohan tried not to dwell on the fact that he would forever be eleven years old. He still looked the same - his hair spiking out and about like a palm tree with the back cut off, with Gohan's signature gi. Over the years, Gohan had sort of grown into a man, even though his physical appearance never changed.

Gohan had created his own gi, and given the design to King Kai so the kai could replicate them. Gohan had his own symbol, as well. The gi was a light blue colour, like the colour of Gohan's eyes when he was a super saiyan. He had gold armbands, gold accents on his boots, and his symbol on the black was in gold as well. It was a gold circle, filled with silver, and the gold symbol on top of the platinum silver. The symbol on the back meant "wisdom". Goku and Piccolo were still wearing the same sort of gis, and Katrina had updated her outfit drastically. She had a pink top that looked just like silk wrap around her chest, barely covering her chest and leaving her belly and shoulders exposed. She had on black, tight leggings and pink sneakers. She had created the outfit for herself after hearing Gohan describe some of the outfits he had seen girls wear on Earth.

Kareene wore this completely black tracksuit, making him appear completely ebony, except for his markings and hair. Gohan and Katrina teased him relentlessly about it, but he refused to change it, preferring to simply be completely ebony. Katrina always joked that Kareene didn't want a normal shirt because Kareene's bellybutton glowed. (True story - Katrina and Kareene had forced Kareene to wear a normal shirt once, and they laughed at him all day about his glowing bellybutton) Gohan was currently taking a break from training, watch his two best friends spar. Honestly, Gohan couldn't tell who he was closer with. Katrina was great for happy-go-lucky moments, but she was horrible to comforting people. Kareene was more of the solid rock that Gohan could lean on.

Gradually, Gohan had moved into his own cottage with Katrina and Kareene. The kais had fused the three cottages together, so everyone had their own room. Piccolo moved out as well, but no one knew where that lone wolf went. Katrina said that Piccolo always disappeared because Gohan wasn't giving him enough attention, but Gohan always spoke up in defense of his friend. Currently, Kareene had sent Katrina down to the ground with a devastating kick, and she landed hard on her back. Gohan winced as she hit the ground, crater forming underneath her. Katrina had sprung up from the blow, rocks in her hair and a stick straight through her afro. She was laughing as she clutched her (bruised?) ribs.

Gohan floated over, a smirk on his face and a raised eyebrow. Yesterday, Katrina had bet Gohan that she would win the match against Kareene. The loser had to cook breakfast for the next three months. They usually took turns making breakfast, and the person who did have to feed everyone in the morning had to get up an hour earlier. Gohan didn't really mind, but he wanted to see Katrina, who wasn't a morning person, making breakfast every single morning for three months. Gohan started chuckling darkly as Katrina paled even more than she was. Gohan had quickly realized that Katrina wasn't completely milky white, because if she was, she wouldn't be able to pale. And she could, quite drastically.

"Katrina~..." Gohan sing-songed, floating a little closer to his milk coloured friend with her ridiculous pink afro. "I think I won our little bet..." by now, Kareene had floated closer and was observing the two curiously. Kareene had never quite felt the physical closeness towards Gohan that Katrina had. However, Kareene and Gohan were bonded by torn up pasts, blood, and grief. When Gohan had a nightmare and was trapped in a world where death was all around him, it was Kareene that Gohan ran to. It used to be Piccolo, but Kareene had taken the Namekian's place in that regard. Gohan leaned on Kareene, and the ebony skinned alien was more than happy to be that rock for Gohan to latch onto.

Kareene knew for a fact that Piccolo, Goku, and Katrina were not aware of Gohan's nightmares. Kareene kept his mouth shut about them, so he wouldn't distress Gohan. Only Kareene had seen Gohan's panicked and tear tore face after a horrible memory. Honestly, no one had ever shown their weak side to Kareene like Gohan had. It was infuriating, not knowing what else to do to help Gohan. But Kareene did all he could, and Gohan was always calmed down after a night terror. Kareene smiled softly, watching Katrina and Gohan playfully banter about their bet. In the end, Gohan out-stubborned Katrina, and she agreed (albeit grumpily) to make breakfast every morning for the next three months.

"Haha!" Gohan cheered. He leaned away from Katrina and did a flip in the air, coming to rest to smirk at them both. The biggest change in any of them had been in Gohan's personality. The shy, nice boy was generally gone. Gohan was still quite kind, but he was also incredibly mischevious. Gohan now had a newfound longing for true freedom, and refused to give it up at any costs. Now that Gohan was free, he was allowed to do whatever he wanted. As a memory to all the blood on his hands, Gohan had dyed the tips of the bangs that hung over his face red. Kareene barely resisted the urge to wince every time he saw the dye. Honestly, the ebony-skined alien thought it was a rather grim reminder of Gohan's nightly terrors.

"I win, Katrina!" Gohan smirked at his pink haired friend, feeling the familiar bubble of mischievousness rise up in his belly and bubble out as laughter in his throat. He danced around in victory, smirking at his friend. Gohan loved being in Otherworld - he could remember the harsh training from Piccolo and his father, and the even harsher studying his mother forced him to do. Here, no one cared what Gohan did. Soon, there would be a redo of the last failed martial arts tournament. Gohan was determined to win, and since the Grand Kai had bet on Gohan winning, the Grand Kai had told him to swing by later to pick up a present that would aid Gohan in winning the tournament.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up Gohan - your head is already big enough!" Katrina joked, elbowing her friend in the side playfully. She grinned at Gohan, who grinned right back at her. Honestly, since several people had asked, Katrina did not have a crush on Gohan. She did not! He was a good friend, and sure, she liked seeing him happy. But she didn't like Gohan. She honestly didn't see humans in general as attractive - Gohan's hair was pretty crazy, and his tan skin always creeped Katrina out. Back home in her planet, everyone always had either ebony, ash grey, or milky white skin. Gohan defied all of that - his skin was tanned, but lightly so. It wasn't milky like Katrina's, but a very light shade of peach crossed with sandy brown.

"It is not!" Gohan defended himself. "I would like to think that I truly have a sizeable ego, thank you very much. Seeing as the Grand Kai himself placed a bet on me winning this tournament, and not on anyone else, I believe my ego is fine. We both know I'm more powerful than both you of," Gohan grinned at Katrina, and she felt her heart flip unsteadily in her chest. "So that means I automatically get bragging rights!" Gohan finished, hands on his hips. He winked at her before sauntering off, humming to himself. Katrina watched him go, a lump in her throat. She shook her head to get the thoughts out of her head before running after and joining her friend. Currently, Gohan was heading towards the Grand Kai's palace.

"So, today's the day, huh?" Katrina asked, catching up and walking beside her human x Saiyan hybrid friend. "The day you're supposed to go see the Grand Kai? What was it again... he had something for you, I think?" Katrina thought for a moment. She didn't know what the Grand Kai might have planned to give to Gohan. Katrina, Gohan, and Kareene had spent all of last night pouring over different books and looking at different objects in Otherworld that could be used in battle. Of course, the best one of them all was the Z Sword. Legend said that the person who pulled the Z Sword was able to save the universe. They would hold all that power in their hands. It would be an incredible honour.

"Yup, today's the day." Gohan said as they strolled across the grounds. At some point during their conversation, Kareene had joined them. Katrina and Kareene flanked Gohan on both his sides, unknowingly emitting a protective aura about them. Throughout their friendship, Kareene and Katrina had become incredibly protective of their friend, especially in the first couple weeks. Now, they naturally settled into that position and defended Gohan from both sides. "I wonder what he's giving me. I'm assuming some sort of amulet that I can use to trap my dad. Remember looking at those?" Gohan asked, continuing the conversation. "I think I'll need something like that for the tournament to beat my dad."

There were a whole bunch of other fighters training around them, and they came to a stop as the twins and Gohan walked by. The three were known for their pranks, and ability to get away from it. So far, no one had any evidence to suggest that Katrina, Gohan, and Kareene were responsible for the time when everyone in the gym was coated in honey, when sticky notes insulting everyone (it looked suspiciously like Katrina's writing.) were posted everywhere, or the time when all the furniture was glued to the ceilings EVERYWHERE overnight. Even the people in beds had been strapped to the ceiling. To this day, no one had any idea how that was managed. But they knew the blame was to be shifted on Kareene, Katrina, and Gohan - as they were the only ones who escaped the pranks.

"Ah, there you are Gohan!" the Grand Kai said. He put his boom box down, walking over and clapping Gohan on the shoulder. "Thanks for coming, son. So, I placed a bet on you, and I really would like to see you win. There isn't anything I can do without breaking the rules, so what I'm doing instead is giving you the chance to quite literally pull what you need out of the ground." the Grand Kai wriggled his eyebrows as Gohan, Katrina, and Kareene all looked incredibly confused. "See, son, I'm sure you've heard of the Z Sword. Honestly, the Supreme Kai has been going batshit crazy because he sensed someone with the abilities to pull the sword out of that stupid rock. So, I'm sending you up to try." the Grand Kai ended.

 _~Gohan is heading out to pull the Z Sword out! Will our hero succeed, or is he destined for failure?~_

 **Gohanforever:** Thank you!

 **daisukigohan:** Yeah, yeah. I'm going but I have exams! Take pity on me! XD

 **Ky111:** I think they are striving towards Super Saiyan 3. Neither of them have achieved it yet, though. But yeah, I shall bring SSJ4 back! Muahahaha!

 **johnny:** Hehe. Maybe! Wait and see~!

 **Gohanbaby:** Well, when I said a sad ending... okay, the ending is going to be very open, and after a tragedy. So... I really hope you're okay.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Author's Note:**_

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated. Super busy. Anyways, I finally wrote out a plan for Crossroads! And if all goes as planned, it will be a total of 24 chapters.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own this show!

 **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:**

Gohan strutted up to the plane heading to the grand Kai's planet. He ignored the stairs and merely floated up top, sitting on the top of the plane and looked over at his home, as he had been for the last several years. He sighed softly and crossed his legs, preferring to glare in everyone's direction. He wanted to be left alone right now. Gohan merely turned his head this way and that, refusing to look anyone in the eyes. Everyone was so small from up here. The plane was an odd light purple colour, with a white stripe running down it. Gohan sighed again and raised an eyebrow as Mooshi popped in next to him. Gohan almost choked on his spit - Gohan had no idea how Mooshi had done it, but the stupid imp had on a tuxedo. A tuxedo.

"You've really got us into a good one, this time, Gohan." Mooshi muttered, trying to fix his horrible tie. Gohan couldn't stop his jaw from dropping at Mooshi's tuxedo. The thing was a stupid baby blue, with a bright red tie and a white shirt underneath. Mooshi's shoes looked like male dress shoes, but were right red. Gohan honestly could not comprehend how Mooshi thought that that looked nice. He could only shake his head back and forth, jaw almost hitting the roof of the plane. "See, I had to dress up." Mooshi said, trying to look under his giant chin and fix his tie. "The Supreme Kai, Gohan. They're going to try and get you to pull the Z Sword. You need a suit! I even got you one!" Mooshi summoned his little storage, and brought up a matching suit.

"No." Gohan said flatly.

"But-"

" _I said no._ " Gohan's voice was cold, sharp like a knife. He glared daggers at Mooshi, the imp gulping before putting the suit away and turning his back to Gohan. Gohan put one leg on top of the other, crossing his legs at his knees. He sighed, letting his face relax as the plane started. The engine was making Gohan vibrate along with the plane, and he figured that if he opened his mouth to talk, he'd bite his tongue off. Gohan was really, really nervous. Not many people actually made it out of a meeting with the Supreme Kai. The guy was supposed to be super powerful, not to mention the leader of the Kais. He could send you straight to hell for something as simple as bad tea.

The guy was generally bad news, because going to see him meant that you were in some really, really big trouble. Everyone who had tried to pull the Z Sword was unable to. Goku had been sent over three years ago, and he hadn't been able to do it. Gohan almost fell off as the plane shuddered, using his ki to steady himself. Mooshi did fall off, screaming before he started flapping his wings. He then flew to Gohan's head and grabbed onto the back of it. Gohan shuddered with the plane, yelling as it sped down the runway. Some of the workers were watching him and sighing in frustration at his sheer stubbornness. Gohan's yells grew in volume (and pitch, but Gohan will never admit to that.) as the plane started getting into the air.

Gohan stood, balancing on the plane like he would on a surfboard. He ignored the squeaks in his ears from Mooshi, and focused on balance. He bent his front leg as the plane soared into the air. They continued up and up until the driver levelled the plane like it was supposed to be. Gohan relaxed and focused on looking around at the yellow clouds. They were pretty boring, but according to his dad, they made for a nice snack when you were starving. Gohan honestly didn't even want to know the story behind that little piece of trivia. Gohan's eyes widened as they broke from the clouds, coming closer to this planet, floating in the middle of them. It was much larger than the Kai's individual planets, and about as big as the Otherworld planet.

It was gorgeous, swirling light purple clouds with hints of pink, lush and vibrant green grass, and the water... the water looked like something out of a fairytale. Crystal blue, sparkling... downright gorgeous in all aspects. Gohan couldn't keep his jaw from dropping as the plane dropped slightly, before going into a straight-out dive. Gohan screamed, tumbling off. As he passed the driver in the glass cockpit, the guy had the audacity to smirk and wink, before pulling the plane out of it's dive and leaving Gohan to plummet. Gohan continued freefalling, ignoring the outright screams via Mooshi. He had a hand on his chin, wondering about which way would be the best to get back at the stupid driver.

Nor did Gohan noticed the Kais below, who were panicking. Gohan merely activated his ki and landed on the ground softly, still looking up at the sky. His brand new gi was waving in the wind, as he contemplated revenge plans. Fun thoughts, but not so fun if he got caught doing that. Last time Piccolo caught him doing a prank, he was forced to clean the Grand Kai's castle and arena... to Piccolo's standards. It quite literally look him a month. That was not time Gohan wanted to repeat. Gohan continued to look up, ignoring the Kais for now.

"I'm so sorry, sir!" Gohan was snapped to attention when Mooshi apologized. He turned to see Mooshi bowing down low in front of two Kais, who Gohan quickly summed up. The taller one drew his attention first - pink skin, wrinkles, (he was old!) with long white hair. The smaller one had a white Mohawk, and light purple skin. He was radiating some sort of power, and Gohan was immediately on his guard. Something about him was... unnatural. It wasn't that Gohan couldn't take him in a fight, (Gohan thought he could) the guy just had this aura... and Gohan didn't like it. Not one bit. He narrowed his eyes slightly, body tense. The taller one almost immediately scowled, as if he didn't like Gohan already.

"I'm supposed to pull the Z Sword?" Gohan asked. Mooshi turned around and tried to get his friend to shut up, but out favourite Saiyan was just not listening. "Well, just show me where it is then. I'll try and fail like everyone else, and then I can go back, right? I'm not in trouble?" Gohan fidgeted.

"Of course." the smaller one almost _purred_ , and it _creeped Gohan out._ Gohan shuddered and looked over the small one to the rock formation in the distance. "Now, Gohan, I am the Supreme Kai. This is Kibito." he gestured to the pinkie beside him. "We have detected a problem on Earth. Piccolo and your father have already been sent down to deal with it."

"A problem?" Gohan asked, turning to him.

"Yes. A creature called Majin Buu. Piccolo and Goku will be able to distract him, and if they need more time, we will send Katrina and Kareene down as well. Majin Buu was a monster created by a wizard. He was the perfect warrior, and went from planet to planet, destroying them. To transport him, the wizard locked him inside an egg. We managed to defeat the wizard, and the egg was left on Earth, containing Buu. We were afraid that if we tried to destroy the egg, we would only end up releasing Buu. We thought that no one would be able to release Buu, but the wizard had a son. His son has released Buu, using the energy of the demon king, Dabura. The only we can defeat Buu is if you unlock the Z Sword's true potential." the Supreme Kai explained.

"Huh." Gohan said.

"Huh?!" Kibito echoed, growing angry. "That's all you have to say?! Do you even realize the honour being bestowed upon you?! You won't even be able to draw the sword! Everyone will try, it's unlikely it will be you!" Kibito spat.

"Kibito, enough." Supreme Kai gave him a look. "Now, come along, Gohan." he continued. Gohan nodded and followed the two Kais as they stood on the giant rock formation that held the Z Sword.

"Now try to pull it." the Supreme Kai encouraged, stepping back. Kibitio scoffed, but followed the other's lead.

Gohan stepped forwards, feeling power arc from the sword like electricity. He gently put his hands on the handle, and his eyes widened as his heart rate increased. His whole body pulsed with his heart, his tail going still, before puffing up and whipping around like mad. His head slowly lowered as energy exploded away from him in a golden wave, matching his heartbeat. His hands tightened instinctively as the sword glowed, pulsing along with Gohan. Kibito's mouth fell open, and a knowing smirk made itself known on the Supreme Kai's face. Gohan put his weight in his heels, pulling steadily. His eyes closed, as he could feel every inch of the blade, like it was an extension of himself.

Gohan pulled a little more, a little more. Cracks appeared in the rock, dust flying up. The water begun moving, the clouds spinning into a tornado around them. Gohan begun screaming as the golden sword invaded his mind, a presence with him like no other. The gold intensified as he pulled harder, harder, harder. The whole planet was shaking, and all of Otherworld could feel the vibrations. Unknown to Gohan, there was a screen set up for if someone ever pulled the Z Sword, and was currently displaying Gohan, shocked fighters surrounding the screen. Gohan arched his head back, his screams falling at the same time as the rock formation crumbled into pieces. The Z Sword slipped.

Slipped a little more. And eventually... was free. The sword arched into the air, the blade completely golden. There were runes engraved on the blade, the hilt pure gold, with gorgeous designs. Gohan's symbol slowly burned itself into the handle, a gold aura swirling around the sword. The gold aura, as if it was trying to be gentle, slowly spun around Gohan's whole body before speeding up. Gohan was panting heavily, his eyes wide, as he kept his arm up, holding the sword. He lowered his sword arm, staring into space, at nothing. Inside his head, he was seeing the sword, seeing the life inside it. He could feel the sword become an extension to his body, and he almost forgot how to breathe for those precious few moments.

Gohan gasped, coming back to his senses as the gold light faded. He stared down at the sword in wonder, emotions rolling through his belly. He was confused, but at the same time, had a feeling that everything was how it should be. He was feeling oddly light, his vision spinning and blackening in odd places. He could only see the sword, and as he slipped into unconsciousness, that one image burned itself into his mind. His sword, his golden sword. The extension of himself. It was odd, really... Gohan had never, ever seen this coming. He fell, Kibito rushing forward to catch him, but the Supreme Kai raising a finger and stopping his fall instead. Gohan floated in midair due to the Kai's magic.

"See, Kibito?" the Supreme Kai teased. "Now you have to attend a ballet class back on Earth."

Kibito couldn't deny that one. But it leaves everyone to wonder... why would he make a bet with the Supreme Kai in the first place?!

 _~Next time, Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, and the two Saiyan boys go to square off against Buu. Can they hold the monster up long enough for Gohan to get there?~_

 **Gohanforever:** Thank you!

 **daisukigohan:** I decided that I would finish one fanfiction at a time, instead of updating one and then another one. First is Crossroads.

 **Patachu:** Yup!

 **Jack905:** Uh, no. He will eventually.

 **Cruzerblade:** Thank you so much!

 **Ky111:** Thanks!

 **Guest:** Well, I don't think I'm very good at comedies. Also, I have several other fanfictions that need to get done, and then several more plots after that. Sorry!


	19. Chapter 19

_**Author's Note:**_

I know! A super early update! That is because I am determined to finish this story. Go me! Also, guys, I want to know what you think of a new fanfiction idea I have. It's for DBZ - and it's a crossover between the Selection and DBZ. Basically, the first one will be the Selection with Chi-Chi, and then the Selection with Gohan as the sequel.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own this show. Not at all.

 **CHAPTER NINETEEN:**

While Gohan drew upon the hidden power within the Z Sword, Goku and Piccolo were having problems of their own. Both had been successfully transported to Earth, and after a tearful reunion with friends and family, they were determined to defeat Majin Buu. They had a set plan - Goku and Piccolo had both been drilled in the fusion technique, and were determined to teach it to Goten and Trunks. To say that Goku was surprised when he saw Goten was an understatement. Goten was a little demon, full of malicious intent. He was pretty much Trunks' sidekick, who loved to pull pranks and be generally mean to people. Goku had only been around Goten for an hour or so, and Goku already had to lecture him three times. The two had agreed not to tell Trunks and Goten about Gohan yet, as they weren't sure when he would be coming down.

Piccolo, though, was having none of it. When Piccolo, Goten, and Trunks had entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Piccolo was determined to set the boys straight. Trunks was the ringleader, and he was just naturally nasty. Not only was he born with a bad attitude, but he also had Vegeta as a father influence. Piccolo blamed it on Vegeta. Trunks liked playing pranks, and getting away with things without getting in trouble. Bulma would scold him, but only if she found out. Trunks was very careful to plant evidence that suggested someone else did it. Goten pretty much just did what Trunks did. He didn't have Goku or Gohan around for an influence. He was dedicated to his studies, and very intelligent, but also was big on ego and liked being rude.

Piccolo watched them try the form again, yelling when they did something wrong. They would always glare at him, like they hated him for yelling. Piccolo didn't like it. When Gohan was younger, he never behaved this way! Piccolo found himself becoming more and more irritable as time went on, snapping often at the boys. Eventually, both had enough of Piccolo's treatment. Trunks stopped first, and since Trunks stopped, Goten stopped. They both glared daggers in Piccolo's direction. The Namekian merely raised an eyebrow and waited for them to say something. If they didn't first, then Piccolo would, and that would just be to yell at them to get back to work. Didn't these two brats know that Buu was outside, waiting for them? Goku said he could give them one day - a year in the Chamber - but it might not be enough.

"Can we take a break?" Trunks finally complained. "I'm tired. Besides, matching Goten is way too hard. He keeps messing me up! He isn't 'breathing right', or whatever it is you told us to do. I have to lower my power level to match him, too. It's annoying. I'm tired and hungry and thirsty." Trunks said, raising an eyebrow at Piccolo. Goten puffed his cheeks out in irritation at Trunks' words, but did little else than that. He just nodded. Goten looked exactly like Goku - right down to the weird hair. He was wearing a replica of Goku's orange gi, while Trunks didn't look like either of his parents. Purple hair, in a bowl cut, with a dark green gi and red sash. Vegeta probably had the poor tyke training since he was a baby.

"No." Piccolo snapped, finally losing all patience. "Don't you understand that Buu, the greatest threat to this planet, is right outside? We have exactly one year in here, which translates to one day in the real world. One year to get ourselves together, and then we have to face Buu. It's very likely that you, and everyone else will die!" Piccolo had stood up with a flourish of his cape, pacing around the room in agitation. "Why can't you be more like him!?" he snapped. "Gohan never complained this much! Even when I threatened to kill him! And he was only four! You two are seven and eight years old, correct? Why can't you just shut up and learn to fuse already!" Piccolo vented. When he realized what he had said, he clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Gohan?" Trunks asked in confusion. He had heard that name before. When Goten's mom would come over, she and Bulma would talk about someone called Gohan. Goten and Trunks always spied on the conversations, wondering who it was they were discussing. They never got far, because either Bulma or Chi-Chi would spot them, or they would be found by Vegeta and dragged off to training. Trunks had always been curious, and Goten even more so. Since both of their parents were tied up in this Gohan person, Goten had decided to ask Vegeta about Gohan. Vegeta had frozen, his eyes darkening as if recalling an awful memory. Both boys had been scared at the pained look Vegeta wore. He told them not to ask again.

"Gohan." Piccolo said. He sighed, relenting, and sat down. "Come here, boys. You deserve to know." Goten and Trunks approached Piccolo wearily, sitting down in front of him. "Now," Piccolo said. "Before Goku and Chi-Chi had you, Goten, they had another son. Gohan. Gohan is your older brother, and he died before you were born." Piccolo said. Trunks' mouth fell open, while Goten merely stared ahead in shock. "You know how Goku and I are dead, correct? Gohan's the same as us. He's training to come and defeat Buu, with a sword called the Z Sword. We're not sure when he'll be coming, so we decided not to tell you about him quite yet. He died in an awful way, which is why your parents probably can't talk about it." Piccolo swallowed, recalling the painful memories.

"You know who Raditz, Frieza, the Androids, and Cell are, correct?" Piccolo asked. The boys all nodded. "Gohan was present for all of those battles." Piccolo continued. Now Goten's jaw had hit the floor, and Trunks' had joined it. "Gohan was kidnapped by Raditz, and when his father and I went to go fight Raditz, Gohan unleashed this hidden power that allowed him to deliver a blow upon Raditz. It was more damage than either of us had done in the entire fight. Goku sacrificed himself to save his son, and after seeing that power, I kidnapped Gohan to train him because two evil Saiyans were coming down to Earth. I admit, it was a purely selfish reason, but Gohan has this way of worming into your heart when you least expect it. I took custody of Gohan when he was four years old. A year later, when he was five, he fought the two evil Saiyans. I died protecting him, but he survived the battle. He then went to Namek and battled Frieza when he was about six years old. The Androids showed up when he was nine, and Ggoku got a heart virus that attacked and almost killed him. Then Cell happened. What do you know about Cell?" Piccolo asked.

"Well, I know that my dad fought him." Goten said. "Mom refuses to talk about anything else. The media says that Hercule Satan defeated Cell, but everyone else says that that's a load of-"

"They haven't said anything." Trunks quickly cut in. Last time they had sworn in front of Piccolo, he had cuffed them both upside the head.

"Goku did fight Cell. And he lost." Piccolo said. "And then he told Gohan, who was eleven years old, to fight Cell. Gohan fought Cell and won." Piccolo said, inwardly smirking at the looks of shock on their faces. "After the battle, Gohan got the heart virus that Goku had. Unfortunately, we were forced to watch as he battled it... and lost. The virus killed him, and we watched him die, seconds before we could have wished away the virus." Piccolo said, his voice bitter with regret.

"Wait." Trunks said, a contemplative look on his face. "If Gohan died because a virus, that's natural causes, right? Then he wouldn't be allowed to be revived."

"Exactly." Piccolo nodded. "I'm not sure about Goku, but that's exactly why I'm not staying on Earth. I'm going back to Otherworld, the place where some dead people live, with Gohan. I won't leave him again." Piccolo said, his voice firm and absolute.

"Can I..." Goten looked hesitant, and he was playing with his gi belt. "Can I... meet him? He seems... like a really cool person." Goten looked up at Piccolo, shy. Piccolo smiled and nodded at Goten, before standing.

"Only if you can get the fusion technique." he ordered. Both boys jumped up at his command, trying the fusion again and again. They were determined to get it right until Piccolo let them meet Gohan. Piccolo smiled, watching them. He saw a bit of Gohan in Goten. He figured the younger meeting the older would be good for both of them.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Goku was fighting Buu. They were basically playing a game of tag, and Piccolo and the boys had just got into the Chamber! Buu had arrived, and killed almost everyone on the Lookout. Krillin, 18, Chi-Chi, Tien, Yamcha... they were all dead. Goku felt the rage, as well as the grief, envelope him. Buu had changed forms recently, after killing his master, going from fat and pink and pudgy to slim and tall and pinker. He was more powerful, too! And he could speak well! Stupid Buu. Goku snarled, unlocking his inner ki. A golden aura swirled around him, as his hair lengthened. He screamed as he completed the super saiyan three transformation, before launching out of the hole and engaging Buu midair.

Goku had achieved super saiyan three in Otherworld, but no matter how much they tried, Gohan couldn't do it. The small boy was determined to keep trying until he could, however, and Goku was more than happy to help him with that. Goku threw a fist towards Buu, who dodged and grabbed Goku's fist, throwing him forwards and slamming a knee into his gut. Goku spat out saliva, before bringing his own knee up and nailing Buu in the face. Buu flew to the right, still reeling from the blow. Goku chased him down and kamehameha'd him, sending him crashing into the ground. Goku almost collapsed due to exhaustion, but he refused to give in. Piccolo was depending on him.

Goten was depending on him.

Chi-Chi was depending on him.

And probably the most important... Gohan was depending on him. Goku cared for Gohan, Goku was there for his son to heal from all the scars inflicted in life. He knew his son needed him, and Goku needed Gohan too. Gohan was his rock. He depended on Gohan, too. Gohan was the logical, intelligent person that was good with advice. Gohan was so kind, and a wonderful person. Goku couldn't even imagine a time where he wasn't with Gohan. He couldn't remember how it felt, because it was empty. Goku had realized that Gohan was his baby boy, his firstborn son. Really, his only son, because he had spent about an hour with Goten. Unfortunately, it took Gohan dying for Goku to realize that about his son, but realization is better to come late than never.

Goku could only hope it was not too late to made amends. And this, this is how he repaid his son. He thought of Gohan every time he hit Buu, kicked him, or blasted him. Every bit of Goku's energy was concentrated on the face of his small, smiling son. His son who died because of a disease Goku gave him.

 _Never again, Gohan._ Goku promised as he fought. _I will never leave you alone again. I'm coming, son. I'm coming back. I promise._

 _~Goku vs Buu is underway, while Piccolo is trying to teach the terrible two to fuse! Next chapter, we see how Gohan's training is going. Well, or... not so much?~_

 **Gohanforever:** Thank you! Did you like this one, too?

 **Ky111:** Thanks so much!

 **I know there was a third reviewer, but unfortunately, the message is not showing up when I click reviews. Thank you for reviewing, whoever you are, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	20. Chapter 20

_**Author's Note:**_

Only three more chapters, guys!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own this show!

 **CHAPTER TWENTY (Oh, gosh, I remember starting this... *-* I feel old.)**

Goku threw his fist towards Buu for what seemed like the millionth time when he disappeared. The sun had set some time ago. Night had come and gone, and Goku had used up almost all his energy. Now the sun was rising over the horizon, and things seemed hopeless. Goku was beaten and bloodied, and at this point, his soul was quite literally fading from this Earth. He had traded blows and blows and more blows with Buu, all in the hopes of protecting his son. His devotion burned like a fire in his belly, and that fire was the only thing Goku could draw from. He had fallen out of super saiyan three long ago, and was pretty much being used as a Saiyan punching bag by now.

Goku's soul finally faded from Earth as he was deposited rather roughly on the Supreme Kai's planet. For a moment, all the black haired Saiyan could do was lie there, gasping for breath. Every one of his ribs were broken, his left lung punctured with a bone. His heart was barely able to keep up with the required oxygen, beating like a fast drum within his chest. His stomach had been punched so many times that Goku was pretty sure that his intestines were crushed, his stomach cavern cut open. He couldn't even count the number of bruises on his body, nor the number of cuts or scrapes. Goku's hands were all broken, along with all the bones in his ankles and feet. He was in such horrible, horrible pain, but he could only think of Gohan...

Goku had this horrible ache in his stomach, barely able to process what had been going on during the fight. He was fighting his own inner battle inside, and now that he was able to hide away from it all, all he could do was think of his son. Memories flashed through his head briefly, of a smiling little boy. Black hair, ebony eyes, a tail. An adorable little coat. A boy who loved the world. A boy who grew with compassion and kindness, a boy Goku was proud to call his own. That was when Goku took a breath, probably his last. He let it go, feeling the oxygen leave his body as his lungs stopped accepting oxygen. He did not fight death. His heart stopped beating, and a sense of peace filled Goku.

He had done it. He had bought the one day they required. Goku smiled up at the sky, letting go, full of peace and of memories of his son. But, they do say, "speak of the devil and he shall appear." Gohan popped his face right in Goku's fading vision. Tears were dropping off his son's face, and Goku was reminded exactly why he fought. He registered the despair in Gohan's eyes, and he struggled. He forced his lungs to work, a fire reigniting within his belly. His heart began to pick up speed, as he became conscious of the fact that Gohan was gripping one of his broken hands. Goku laughed softly, raising an arm and bringing his son close. Gohan was gentle with him. His son lay over his chest, crying his eyes out.

"It's okay." Goku's voice broke from misuse, raw and scratchy from all the screaming he had been doing. "I'm okay." Goku coughed, and someone from behind helped him sit up. Goku closed his eyes, keeping Gohan close to him. No matter how many years they spent in Otherworld, Gohan would always look the same. Black hair going all over in the place in a palm-tree shape, ebony eyes full of joy, yet the wisdom that only comes with years of suffering. Goku lay his head back, feeling something at his lips. It was cool, and didn't taste or smell odd. Goku believed it was water, which he accepted greedily. The water went down his throat, soothing the dryness of his inner skin and flowing down like silk.

He could feel a warm tingly feeling that began in his chest, and he weakly opened his eyes to see someone he did not know with hands just above his torn and tattered chest, flaps of skin and blood all over the place. Slowly, the cuts began closing and the pain decreased. Goku was able to sit up on his own, and turned his eyes to his son. Goku almost choked on his own spit at his son's appearance. Gohan was staring at him with tear stained cheeks, his hair ebony black and in it's regular position. Those things were not what worried Goku - Gohan had swirls of energy coming off of his body that looked like nebulas - purple, sparkling, and pretty much radiating power.

Gohan's eyes were a baby blue colour, much lighter than they were in his super saiyan form. They were shining with tears as some more slipped out. As Goku gaped like a fish, Gohan hugged his father. Goku looked down at the ground and almost choked once more. The ground., except for precisely where they were standing, was ripped up and destroyed completely. Right below them was a nebula, swirling with energy. It pulsed with every move Gohan made. Clutched in Gohan's left hand was a sword, unlike any other Goku had ever seen. He almost immediately felt like bowing towards it, unsure of how to handle this situation. Wearily, he looked his son in the eyes.

"Gohan?" Goku murmured, too exhausted and hurt to do much else.

"Dad." Gohan smiled. "This is the Z Sword. And, I guess, my hidden power. I can defeat Buu!" Gohan's eyes were burning with an unbridled rage. "It'll be okay, Dad. You don't have to fight alone anymore."

 **(Back on Earth, with Piccolo and the terrible two.)**

It had been one year, and now, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber was kicking them out. Piccolo had almost strangled both of those stupid kids. He really wasn't sure why everyone stuck him with the children. Yes, he was good with Gohan. But that was because Gohan was Gohan, and no one else in the world was like Gohan. No one was as kind, no one was as powerful, (in Piccolo's opinion) and no one was as intelligent. (Once more, in Piccolo's opinion. Lastly, no one in the world was as beautiful as Gohan. Now, Piccolo, being a Namekian, was unable to judge people based upon their physical features. There were other things that made Gohan beautiful. Things only Gohan possessed.

The way Gohan's eyes would light up when he saw food, how he loved to play with anything and everyone, how he forgave everyone. The sparks in his eyes when he became angry, when those sparks turned into raging fires when he was pushed. How his buttons were strategically placed, how he would snap under pressure. How when Gohan was challenged, he blew all of your expectations out of the water. How Gohan forgave anyone and everything, how he had the ability to understand anyone, even if he hadn't gone through the same trials. How he saw the best in everyone, how he was able to pull you into his heart, and all too late, you discovered you had been under his spell this whole time.

Those stupid brats were not anything like Gohan. And that frustrated Piccolo to no end. He loved Gohan, he hated these two. They were walking out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, prepared for the very worst to have happened. They exited, shutting the door behind them and looking over to see any sort of damage. The Lookout seemed mostly intact, but the three were not prepared for the chocolate bars that were scattered everywhere. Piccolo was confused, picking one up before hearing the sound of someone stuffing their face. Piccolo snarled in disgust, and followed the noise, motioning for the boys to follow quietly. They actually listened this time, apparently sensing how serious the situation might just be.

They rounded the corner to see a slim, tall pink version of Buu eating chocolate. They all blinked in confusion as the monstrosity devoured chocolate after chocolate, smirking cruelly. His laugh echoed across the Lookout, and Piccolo began having this awful feeling in his gut. Something was wrong. The monster turned to face them, chocolate smeared across his face. Piccolo sharpened his senses and almost cried out loud at the kis he could sense within Buu's belly. Piccolo brought a hand to his mouth, trying to stifle the vomit, as the children realized the truth of the matter from behind him. Trunks did throw up, falling to his knees. Goten merely stood in shock, eyes wide and trying to digest the face that Buu had eaten their friends and family.

"They were good." Buu grinned, displaying his sharp teeth, chocolate smeared across them, staining the white colour. "They were good snacks." he promised. "They refused to tell me where the other warrior went. The one with the orange fighting outfit. He disappeared during a fight, but I'm not sure if I killed him or not. Then I sensed you, and they refused to tell me where you were too." Buu's face had twisted, displaying his sick madness. "So when they disobey Buu, Buu must punish them. They must be punished!" Buu screamed the last sentence, his face contorting with rage. "I turned them all into chocolate and gobbled them up. They have been punished, but now you and the man in the orange must received your judgement." Buu smiled cruelly, tilting his head.

Goten made a sound like he was being strangled, while Trunks focused his senses in on Buu's stomach, where he could sense the kis of his mother and father. Trunks closed his eyes as tears dripped off his face, he felt like he was being torn apart. Torn apart. His parents had been very important to him. Trunks did not think he could live without his mother's hugs and kisses, without her burned cookies and attempts to make him feel better. Without her blue hair that always smelled like bubblegum. Without his father, who tried to be strict and unfeeling, but even Trunks could see just how clearly Vegeta loved him. How his father would spend all of his time watching over his son.

All those times Trunks had been sick, or had a nightmare, Trunks would wake up to his father sitting in the corner of the room, staring unblinkingly at him. When Trunks had been afraid of the dark, he could remember waking up to light, light that comforted him. And sitting in a corner, on a chair, was Vegeta. Trunks' father was in his super saiyan form, snoring softly. The light cast a warm glow over Trunks' room, and caused a wave of peace to sink into his skin and stay there. From that point on, Trunks hadn't been afraid of the dark. Trunks looked up with fire in his eyes, horror and pain shining through his eyes, imagining the demise of his parents. He could almost hear their screams as their bones snapped, as their forms shrunk, as they were torn apart by sharp teeth. It sickened Trunks to his very core.

Goten was still standing. It was if a dragon had ignited a fire in his belly. He could feel the rage, and that rage pushed him to his limit and beyond. Goten arched his head back and screamed, a sound so savage it tore through the walls of the Lookout. Trunks did not make any noise, but had reached the same point. Tears were falling down Trunks' cheeks, still stuck in his horror. Goten opened his eyes, almost able to hear his mother's screams. His hair went gold, his eyes went blue, his hair spiking up to form a flame shaped mass of spikes upon his head. Trunks had gotten up, his blue eyes sharpened. His hair had turned golden, stiffening and spiking upwards to the sky.

The boys prepared to fight. They were driven by rage, the screams of their loved ones echoing in their ears. Unfortunately, all of us must open our eyes to the cruelty of the world at some point. And it had happened to them, but much, much too early...

And yet, at the same time, too late.

 _~Next time, Goten and Trunks attempt to fight Buu. Will they have to, or will Gohan make it in time to save them?~_

 **daisukigohan:** Thanks so much!

 **Gohanforever:** Yup! However, they will change after this... I honestly thought that during the anime, the Buu saga wasn't dark enough. They put a playful spin to it that I didn't agree with. People were getting murdered left and right, with a lighthearted attitude. This shall be much darker, like how I imagined it... hehe. :3

 **hfrivera02:** Why thank you! I try. I can write one chapter in about one hour, so yeah. I do get the joke, but thankfully, I'm not actually SSJ Mirai Gohan. XD Because if I had to type with one arm, chapters would take much longer. XD

 **Hinta-Hime-Starz:** Yup! WOOT WOOT!

 **Patachu:** Yeah, do you like it?

 **Ky111:** Thanks so much!

 **Gyni:** Thank you. Did you like this chapter too?


	21. Chapter 21

_**Author's Note:**_

Two more chapters! This fanfiction will be finished tomorrow!

 _ **100 FREAKING REVIEWS YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST**_

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own this show!

 **CHAPTER TWENTY ONE:**

As Goten and Trunks prepared for battle, there was a huge crash above them. Everyone, including Buu, froze, daring to raise their eyes to the sky. Storms were gathering there, a tornado appearing. It was unlike any storm anyone present had ever seen, a storm speaking of pure rage. The clouds twisted within each other, spinning wildly and out of any sort of control. The winds whipped around the people present, almost throwing the young boys off their feet. The dark storm clouds caused the tornado to become a dark grey, forever spinning. It was a horrifying and beautiful sight, lightning crashing to the ground from the depths of the skies. From within the tornado, a light became known.

It was as purple, as dangerous, and as mysterious as a nebula, spinning and speaking of total control amidst the chaos. A figure was barely visible through the clouds, the purple light spilling from in between the clouds, lighting up the sky. Buu hissed as one of the rays came into contact with his skin, the pink skin burning and peeling away. He quickly moved, snarling and baring his teeth at the gathering of clouds. The clouds struggled for a moment, before being blasted apart by the force of someone's aura. A figure was shown through the darkness, burning bright. The light within the darkness. Everyone was hit the wave of ki radiating from the figure. It was unreal - unlike anything they had ever experienced before.

The figure floated to the tiled floor of the Lookout, the light fading so no one was blinded. As he landed, everyone was given a good look at him. He was wearing gold pants, with a gold coat that went down to mid-thigh on top. There were intricate designs on said coat, golden trim lining it and continuing up the button line, the buttons gold themselves. The whole outfit was black, except for the gold trim and buttons. The boy looked no older than twelve, fury residing in his eyes. His body posture was tense, his hair spiking out like a palm tree. His baby blue eyes were fixed upon Buu, with all the hatred of the world. Hate was coursing through his veins like acid, burning his skin and encouraging his heart to beat faster, spreading the poison throughout his body.

Piccolo almost took a step back, then chastised himself and reminded himself that this was Gohan. Sweet, gentle Gohan. This was what happened when Gohan had been pushed too far, too fast. When you took the soul of a man, and broke it into a million pieces without touching the man himself, but the people he loved. Buu had done that to Gohan, but clearly, what Buu did not understand was that, when you do that to someone, you create a monster. And in creating a monster, you have just dug your own grave. Because the man who had everything ripped from him would come after you, and come after you with the venom of a serpent and the mercy of a lion stalking it's prey.

Goten was shocked at the sight of the preteen. This person looked so similar to him. Their faces were alike, and Goten could pick out bits and pieces of this stranger that looked like his parents. He had Goten's mother's nose, her skin tone, her silky-looking hair. Her chin, her heart shaped face. At the same time, this stranger had features from Goku - he had Goku's jaw and cheekbones, Goku's crazy hair, but the baby blue eyes glaring at Buu almost made Goten's heart stop. Those eyes, the eyes of a killer, were entirely the stranger's own. Goten did take a step back, feeling out the seemingly limitless ki within the stranger. It was concentrated in the stranger's chest.

Adding everything that Piccolo had told him together, Goten decided that this person was probably Gohan. Goten's dead, big brother. Goten spared a glance at Piccolo, who looked like a deer in the headlights, but there was a warmth in Piccolo's eyes that Goten and Trunks hadn't seen for the year they were forced to spend with the Namekian. Goten looked back to the stranger, trying to memorize every detail of his face. If it was indeed true that this stranger was Goten's big brother, Goten suddenly had the urge that he wanted to get to know him, and know him well. Something told Goten that knowing his big brother would be a worthwhile cause. Goten almost jumped out of his skin as the stranger moved.

Gohan turned around and kneeled down, looking Goten in the eyes.

"Hello." he said, his voice rich with wisdom, tinged with rage.

"Hi." Goten almost cursed himself at his response - high pitched, full of terror and uncertainty.

"I'm Gohan. Your big brother, I think." Gohan said. "Once this is all over... I do have something for you." a pained look crossed Gohan's features, and he closed his eyes briefly, before standing up once more and facing Buu. "Piccolo." his voice was all authority, and all Goten could do was marvel up at his big brother. Goten had always dreamed of having someone like Gohan around - someone who was calm in the worst of times, someone who would listen to Goten and beat up all the bullies. Who would even beat up Trunks every time Trunks was mean to him! Goten looked up to Trunks, but he had always longed for someone older than him. And honestly, the impression that Goten was getting of Gohan was that Gohan was the coolest person to ever exist. Stars were pretty much shining in Goten's eyes.

"Take the boys and go." Gohan ordered. "We'll handle Buu."

"I'm not leaving you- wait, we?" Piccolo asked, tone full of confusion. Gohan turned to look at Piccolo, staring at him with a steady gaze. Gohan touched his chest, and it begun glowing with an unearthly golden glow. Gohan slowly reached into his chest, not even flinching as Goten and Trunks screamed. Gohan drew his hand out shortly, bringing a golden sword up with him. He flicked the sword in the air as his ki concentrated and he focused his gaze upon Buu. "Go." Gohan whispered, before darting forwards. It looked like the sword was controlling the body, as Gohan hacked and swung at Buu. Caught off guard, the pink monstrosity was almost cut in half, but instead, received a small cut on the abdomen. Buu looked like he wanted to laugh, but the cut sizzled and burned, smoke coming off of it.

It wasn't healing, it wasn't going away. The smile faded from Buu's face as he stared Gohan down. Gohan stood in front of him, sword out dangerously. Gohan moved then, standing with his right arm facing Buu, his left on the other side of his body. Gohan held his sword in his left hand, his legs separating into a classic battle stance, his right leg ahead, his toes peeking out from under his knee. His right leg was bent, while his left leg was straightened, extended in the back. With an explosion of ki, Gohan leapt forwards, his sword going forwards as if pulled by a string, his right shoulder moving to give his sword arm extra push. His left arm extended forwards, the blade reaching for Buu.

Buu's face turned from confused to surprised in a second's notice, his eyes going wide as he tensed, jumping out of the way before Gohan's sword could make contact. Buu jumped back, landing several meters away in a crouch, snarling and bearing his teeth at this new enemy. Gohan brought his feet together, holding his sword vertically, pointing towards the sky. His head was down, his eyes shadowed by his hair. There was a breeze that ruffled his hair, which moved slowly in the breeze. Gohan raised his head slightly, displaying his pastel blue eyes. The light colour seemed to catch Buu off guard, and he took a step back. There were flames burning within Gohan's eyes. Buu was this monster that hurt his family, killed his friends, and emotionally scarred his brother.

Who drove his father to becoming nearly non-existent, who devoured his mother. Gohan was here for one thing, and one thing only. Revenge. Gohan snarled, raising his head and glaring at Piccolo, telling him to get out of there. Gohan returned his gaze to Buu, and started running forwards. He leapt into the air as he neared Buu, swinging the sharp edge of his sword towards Buu's skin. Buu dodged, flying around Gohan's left side. Gohan's wide eyes met Buu's narrowed ones. As Buu prepared his kick, Gohan turned midair and flipped the blade so Gohan's palms were resting against the flat side. When Buu delivered his kick, Gohan used the blade to block it, but was thrown backwards. He flipped midair, and kicked off of a palm tree, bending the poor tree backwards so he could rocket forwards.

Gohan flew forwards, towards Buu, bringing his sword down with a cry. The sword bit into Buu's arm, the pink skin hissing and burning as it slowly cut it's way through. Buu snarled in pain and gnashed his teeth near Gohan's ear. The boy jumped and shuddered, not able to stop the creepy tingle going from his neck, down his spine, alerting his body that he really was in danger. Buu smirked suddenly, using his own body to turn into goo, which grabbed Gohan's wrists and ankles and held him there. The sword glowed brightly, and Buu withdrew, away from the light. Gohan was deposited roughly on the ground before struggling to his feet, swinging at Buu once more with a battle cry.

The shockwaves going through the air were enough to begin destroying the Lookout. Piccolo crept forwards, bringing his fingers together, his hands horizontal. The boys were watching the fight with wide eyes. They were distracted enough. Piccolo brought his hands down hard upon their necks. It would surely bruise, but successfully knocked them both out. They fell to the ground, where Piccolo watched as they face planted into the ground. He returned his pain filled gaze to the boy he had nurtured, the boy he loved like his own son. He watched as that boy battled with the greatest monster in existence, as Gohan was knocked backwards, as he skidded down the tiles on his feet, before finding purchase and jumping up once more, on the attack.

Piccolo could feel a wave of pride rise up within him, and even though it was silly, Piccolo couldn't help but love the fact that he had helped create that warrior. However, Piccolo saw Gohan as much more than a warrior. He saw the fears Gohan tried to hide. Gohan was afraid for them, and afraid for himself. Piccolo promised himself that he would do anything he could to help Gohan, no matter what it took. Piccolo picked up the small boys and blasted off the Lookout, looking over his shoulder to watch the two auras collide with a explosion of sparks. Piccolo sighed, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he was on a new planet. He could sense the Supreme Kai, Goku, and...

Piccolo's eyes widened as his gaze passed over his fallen comrades, those who had recently died fighting Buu on the Lookout, turned into chocolate and destroyed completely, humiliated, even in their last moments.

"Don't worry, Piccolo." Goku's gaze was firm. "We don't plan on leaving Gohan to fight alone. Everyone here died an unnatural death. That means that they can go back if someone wishes them to." Goku's gi was so torn up it was barely on him, and Piccolo supressed the urge to yell at him to change. "That means that everyone here has a small spark of life. If you can give up yours, Piccolo, give up your chance to see the Earth again, I'll be able to go down and help Gohan."

"I still don't understand why _I_ can't go." Vegeta snarled quietly in the back, scowling fiercely with his arms crossed.

"Because Gohan is my son." Goku glared at Vegeta, and even the Saiyan prince was taken aback at the fire Goku displayed. "And I won't put Gohan's existence in the hands of someone else. You in, Piccolo?"

"I don't think I need to say that I am." Piccolo commented, stepping forwards while unceremoniously dropping the boys on the ground.

 _~Next time, Goten and Trunks wake up, Gohan fights Buu, and Goku needs to go and save his son before it's all too late. Can they manage, for will everything fall apart?~_

 **Gohanforever:** Thank you very much. ;)

 **Ky111:** Yeah. Thanks for reviewing! Did you like this chapter?

 **Patachu:** No, this is not going to be a Piccolo x Gohan fic. Sorry if it came out that way! DX I was trying to make it show how concerned Piccolo is, but yeah, no romantic relationship between Piccolo and Gohan.


	22. Chapter 22

_**Author's Note:**_

Two more chapters. I know how sad it is, but this story is coming to a close!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own this show!

 **CHAPTER TWENTY TWO:**

Goten and Trunks had woken up about an hour ago, on the surface of the Supreme Kai's planet. They were now performing in this strange ceremony, while Gohan fought Buu. There was a small orb on the ground showing them the fight that was currently going on on the surface of the Earth. Gohan was fighting hard, but it was obvious by his injuries and ragged breath that he was beginning to fall. His eyes had not flickered, the fire had not dimmed, and he was reaching the limits of his strength. Similarly, Buu was breathing hard, and had several smoking cuts. He even had that weird pink blob cut off of his head, and he sure was furious about it. The wound was smoking, burning.

Gohan was currently screaming as he flung his sword forwards, planting his feet and using his shoulders to drive the blow. It almost cut Buu clean in two, but the pink monster flipped just in time and dodged, kicking Gohan in the face. Gohan retaliated, throwing his sword and piercing Buu through the shoulder. Gohan displayed his palm and screamed something in an unknown language. The Z Sword flung from Buu's skin to Gohan's waiting left hand, where the half Saiyan struck up his classic battle stance, breathing evenly and deeply. He lunged forward, sword singing for Buu's blood. Goten and Trunks had watched in awe- Gohan was much more powerful than either of them had imagined.

As much as Goten didn't want to admit it, he was scared, and for several good reasons. One, he was terrified because he was giving up his life force and would die to save his big brother, someone he had barely known. He was also scared of Gohan - the older half Saiyan had seemed so much more powerful. What if Gohan decided he didn't like Goten, and tried to kill him? It would be horrible. Goten didn't even want to try to imagine it. Goten was also scared for his big brother - Gohan was fighting Buu, a monster that had killed almost everyone Goten knew. The small boy was also scared for his friends and family. Here they were, giving up their life forces. It was a scary thought to the seven year old.

Trunks was feeling full, but at the same time, empty. He was happy and at peace that his parents were okay, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get the sounds of their screams out of his head, even though he didn't actually hear him. His mind was tormenting him with what their last moments would have felt like, and in his vision of it, he could see his mother screaming for Vegeta to help her, while Vegeta tried to get to her, but failed. Trunks couldn't stop the guilt that was eating him away inside. It was heavy upon his soul as he considered how he had been locked up in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, complaining about taking a bath while his parents died. If there was one thing Trunks knew, it would be that these wounds wouldn't heal so easily. And they would definitely leave scars.

Goku was desperate, a fire ignited in his belly. He wanted so badly to be with his son right now, to be able to take his son in his arms and hide his little boy from the troubles of the world. He didn't want his son fighting Buu, no matter what the consequences might be. Gohan had already died once, died in a horrible, painful way because of a disease Goku gave him. Goku was determined to redeem himself, even if in his son's eyes, he had not done anything wrong. Goku fixed his stare upon the others before him, conveying his desperation and fury. He was furious at Buu, and he would ensure that no matter what, Buu would be destroyed. Destroyed at Goku's hand. There wasn't another option. Then, Goku could shelter his son.

Vegeta was worried, but he wasn't going to admit it. He did his best not to let it show on his face, but when Bulma squeezed his hand comfortingly and Kakarot fixed him with that intense stare (Vegeta was still getting used to how Kakarot no longer made himself look like a clown) Vegeta realized that he had been found out, by the two people he never thought he would ever become friends with. Vegeta was worried for his son, especially. Trunks had seemed so... down, so distant. Trunks hadn't left their side since he got here, but the boy hadn't said much. The most emotion Vegeta had seen was when Trunks burst in to tears when he saw them. Vegeta was worried that this fight with Buu had somehow hurt his son more than Trunks was letting on, and Vegeta was determined to right that wrong, and quickly.

Now, everyone was sitting in a circle, elbows touching. All of them had unanimously decided to aid Gohan in any way they could, and they were all sure that if Goku could go back to Earth somehow, he could help Gohan. Vegeta had grumbled a bit, but didn't really mean it. Besides, Goku put a quick stop to the complaints each time. Trunks was sitting with Vegeta on his right and Bulma on his left. Trunks had been shaken, very, very shaken from the realization about an hour ago that his mother and father were dead, and all because of him. Because he wasn't fast enough getting out of the Chamber. So, as soon as Trunks had woken up, he had ignored his pride and ran to his parents sobbing.

Vegeta pretended to be angry with Trunks for doing so, but Bulma accepted his hugs and was crying herself. Vegeta eventually hugged both members of his family and promised that he would keep them both safe. Goten had stuck with his mother since he woke up, and was always maintaining contact with her. Goten would be grabbing onto the back of her dress, or clutching at her hand constantly. He refused to let Chi-Chi go after what had happened to her. Goten, however, barely even looked at Goku. That was alright with the older Saiyan - he and Goten were not on the best of terms. At this moment, everyone was pooling their collective life forces together, slowly building enough time for Goku to save Gohan.

Goten and Trunks had eagerly offered up their life forces - if their parents had to stay in Otherworld, then the two boys did not want to be left behind. The offer was accepted by the Supreme Kai despite Bulma's protests. The Kai said that this path was most likely the best one. Their life forces swirled around Goku in a blue glow, almost blinding everyone present. It sunk into Goku's skin, removing his halo as he waited for enough time. They stopped when one day had been reached, and Goten and Trunks received halos on their respective heads. Goku stood up, looking taller than he ever had before. His muscles were tensed, his body ready to move. His fists were tightened, his height towering over the others sitting on the floor.

"I'm coming, Gohan." he murmured, before disappearing off the planet, thanks to the Supreme Kai. Goku appeared on Earth once again, a few miles away from the battlefield. Goku looked up, full of determination. Goku almost threw up at the sight he was greeted with. The Lookout was completely destroyed, and Gohan was floating in the air, struggling to breathe with his own sword sticking through his gut. Above, Buu was laughing, but the laugh sounded raw, like his throat was aching. Goku could feel rage go through him, seeing his son panting. Gohan doubled over and puked out blood. Goku stiffened in horror as his son's blood fell, almost right in front of his face.

"Dad..." Gohan murmured. "I need you now, Daddy..." he mumbled the last word before falling out of the sky. Goku quickly flew up and brought his son close to him, holding him gently, like a glass doll. So fragile, yet somehow, people expected him to hold up under stress. Goku smiled gently down at his son as Gohan looked up at him in wonder. Gohan opened his mouth to speak, but Goku put a finger to his own lips, telling Gohan to shush, to not speak. Gohan pouted, but did as he was asked, his eyes closing and his head turning to the side as he fell into unconsciousness. Goku set his son down, turning around when Kibito appeared and began working on healing his son.

Goku turned to the battle, fire in his eyes, waiting for his son. Like it or not, neither of them could fight Buu. Alone. Goku had realized just how stupid he was, trying to take on enemies like Vegeta, Frieza, and Cell on by himself. If he had just attacked as a group, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way. Goku shoved the guilt down when Gohan trotted up to stand beside him, his sword clutched in his left hand. They faced Buu together, and after almost seventeen years of being in each other's presence, they were actually able to fight together. Goku rushed forwards, taking their enemy on on the right side. He transformed into a super saiyan three as he lunged, catching Buu off guard.

He traded several blows with Buu, not gaining any damage or dishing it out. Gohan flew in from the left, Goku jumping away as Buu turned to see the threat. Goku smirked in pride as his son spun with his sword, cutting Buu across the chest. This one was deep, and when Buu's skin came into contact with the blade, the wound sizzled as if Buu had been burned. The pink monster snarled, lunging forwards. He brought his sharp teeth to Gohan's neck, biting down, hard. Blood flew into the air, and Goku kicked Buu off of his son. Gohan had a dazed look in his eyes, still caught in the surprise of the move. Gohan's hand was shaking as he lifted it to the sharp teeth marks on his neck, before his face hardened, and he became even angrier. Gohan flew forwards, screaming as he did so.

Goku went behind Buu, so when Gohan slashed at Buu's face, Goku kicked Buu forwards. Gohan kept the blade steady, running Buu through the thigh. Blood flew, and Buu snarled and screamed in pain. But just because he was in pain, did not mean he didn't move. Buu swung his other leg up and kicked Gohan in the side of the head, sending the half Saiyan crashing into the ground, creating a visible crater on the Earth's surface. Goku roared in anger and charged Buu, throwing his fists and legs with reckless abandon. He slugged Buu in the face especially hard, furious with the monster for harming his son. Gohan rejoined the brawl as soon as he regained his breath.

Father and son spun around Buu, able to predict exactly how the other was going to move without needing to look at him. They danced around each other's punches and kicks, watching each other's backs, and beating Buu bloody. Goku flipped randomly in the middle of his attack, and as he was in the air, the Z Sword sliced through the air, burying it's tip a couple inches into Buu's chest. The wound sizzled and refused to close. While Buu made a desperate grab to the sword, trying to get it away from Gohan, Goku brought his heel down on Buu's head, sending the stupid monster straight to the ground. Buu got up once more, glaring daggers at them, ready to resume their battle.

 _~Next time, the battle ends. Will good prevail, or are the worlds destined to die at Buu's hands?~_

 **Gohanforever:** I am on a roll! Probably because I'm determined to finish this. XD

 **Patachu:** Yeah, I was just trying to convey how Piccolo feels about Gohan. Sorry if that came out sort of creepy! XD

 **Ky111:** Thanks!

 **Hinata-Hime-Starz:** Ah, man, sick? That sucks! I hope you feel better soon, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Author's Note:**_

This chapter is dedicated to Ky111 and Gohanforever. Those two have been with me since day one, reviewing and encouraging me! Thanks guys. ;)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the show!

 **CHAPTER TWENTY THREE:**

Gohan and Goku flung themselves at Buu with reckless abandon. Buu snarled at their approach, and the battle between the three ensued. Blows were exchanged, cries were thrown into the air, both of pain and fury. Debris and dust from their ruined world lifted into the air. There were still some human settlements that were left, but for the most part, everyone had been murdered by Buu. It was a horrible thought, and a horrible feeling that something like this could happen to their Earth, especially after all Gohan and Goku had done to protect it was unfair. Goku fought for his family, for his son, while Gohan fought to protect those still remaining. It was time that the Saiyans departed from this Earth and found a new home.

Buu managed to separate them, pinning Gohan to the ground and throwing Goku away. Buu leaned over Gohan, grabbing the hilt of Gohan's sword and wrenching it away from him. Ignoring the burning in his hands, Buu attempted to pierce through Gohan's chest with the Z Sword, but Goku arrived just in time and kicked Buu's head, sending the pink monster flying. Goku grabbed the sword and handed it to Gohan, helping his son off. They nodded to each other, Gohan's baby blue eyes already unsettling Goku. The two flew forwards. Gohan was stroking the blade of his sword, biting his lip softly, but whatever was bothering him, he did not share. Buu flew towards them, and Goku flew to engage him.

Goku's knees, elbows, fists, and even legs connected with Buu, neither stronger than the other. Gohan snuck up from behind, braining Buu on the head with the sword. Buu staggered around, and lifted a hand in defense. A beam of pink light shot out and struck Gohan. Goku cried out in alarm as his son froze, the sword dropping from his hand. Buu begun laughing, kicking Goku square in the chest as the man charged forwards to try and help his son. Steam begun coming off of Gohan's skin. The boy wasn't able to make a sound, but if he could, he would be screaming. This light was literally burning him from the inside out. Gohan's tears and saliva evaporated, his eyes feeling sticky and dry.

As he increased his invisible struggles, someone put soft hands on his back and pushed him out of the way. As he flew forwards, Gohan turned with wide eyes to see Kareene hit the beams of light. Unlike Gohan, he was not frozen, and immediately began screaming. Gohan landed on the ground and scrambled for his friend, heart thumping loudly, his heart and soul breaking, shattering into pieces. Gohan screamed Kareene's name as his friend's screams of agony increased. The light flashed brighter, and a second later, all that was left was ashes. Gohan stared at the place Kareene used to be, mouth open. He was frozen in horror, all fight having left him. Tears gathered in his eyes, and as both he and Goku were distracted, Buu snuck up.

As Buu was about to throw the ki blast that would end Gohan's life, a petite girl with milky white skin, pink hair, and tears in her eyes teleported in the way. Gohan spun around once more, his world shattering around him as he caught the soft smile that Katrina was giving him. Gohan reached out, trying to pull her out of the way, but even with all his speed, Gohan knew he would be too late. Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks, his vision blurry, and focused on Katrina. She was mouthing words to him, smiling with all the tenderness of a mother comforting her child. Gohan screamed in raw, emotional agony as the blast made contact with Katrina's small, so very small body. She screamed in agony as her flesh was ripped away, the blast deafening and blinding everyone present.

Gohan stood there, frozen, tears coursing down his cheeks as he stared at Katrina's body, which lay at his feet. The twins had obviously been watching the fight. They had teleported here, they had died... they had died for Gohan. All for Gohan. The boy started shaking, bringing a hand to his mouth to muffle the screams. He closed his eyes, trying to burn the image of Katrina's body out of his mind as he screamed into his sleeve. Screamed with every sob. His shoulders shook, and he was in physical pain. But not even that compared to how he was feeling inside. The shock was gone, and the horrible aching feeling was in. He felt broken, shattered, like his world was torn apart. He had never been more angry at himself. He caused this. He caused this.

 _We did this for you. We love you, Gohan. Please don't forget us._

The words Katrina had mouthed to him, seconds before her death. Before Kareene's best. A sob built in Gohan's throat, and he forced it out with another muffled scream, his eyes closed, refusing to look at Katrina's body again. He slowly opened them, tears falling down his cheeks. He looked down upon his best friend's body. Her hair was completely burned away, her skin blackened all over in ugly patches because of the blast. A perfect circle of flesh was missing in her chest, her chest being held together by about an inch of skin on each side. Blood was everywhere, her face broken. Her jaw was clearly shattered, both eyes were lifeless, and there was blood covering every inch of her skin. Her left leg was bent at an awkward angle, most likely broken, and her right arm was gone from the shoulder down, obliterated in the blast.

Gohan stood in horror, unable to tear his eyes away from the body. He didn't register the sound of his father calling his name, he could only hear the sound of Buu laughing. As the ashes, all that was left of Kareene, flew through the air, Gohan stayed still, frozen. He felt like his whole world had shattered, and the pieces were now cutting him up inside. He was desperately thinking, _This can't be real. I have to be dreaming. They can't be dead, they can't be dead, theycan'tbedeadtheycan'tbedeadtheycan'tbedead._ Gohan stayed where he was, feeling the pressure build up. Things like this had happened before. They had happened many times, and Gohan was always unable to help.

Unable to do anything to help. When his Dad died fighting Raditz. If only Gohan had been stronger... when Piccolo died saving him from Nappa, if only Gohan had been braver... when Krillin died fighting Frieza, if only Gohan had been smarter... he could have seen it coming! When his Dad and Mirai Trunks died fighting Cell. If only Gohan had been less cocky! More concentrated! And now this. If only Gohan had been faster, stronger, smarter... then his friends wouldn't have died. Self hate rose like a wave within in him, and he tipped his head back as the skies released rain onto the world. Gohan watched as the drops fell to the ground, disguising the tears rolling down his cheeks.

The sky was crying. The sky was crying for the loss of two people, whose souls had been ripped away. They would never exist again. Buu was laughing, the sound echoing within Gohan's head. The bloodlust rose, and the wind picked up around the half Saiyan. Buu lunged to Gohan, attempting to kick him in the side. Gohan lifted his arm, and blew Buu off with only the force of his aura. Buu flew away from Gohan, screaming like a madman. Gohan turned his gaze, which was absolutely livid, towards Buu, before tipping his head back and screaming. The scream was unlike any Goku had heard before. It spoke of just how much pain Gohan was in. It was raw and emotional, Gohan's agony reaching from the depths of his shattered heart into his voice.

The wind picked up, the electricity arching around Gohan. There was a bright flash of golden light, and the screaming turned into roars, back into screams once more. Both Goku and Buu were blown away in the face of Gohan's rage. After what seemed like an eternity, the golden light faded, revealing Gohan. But... changed. His eyes were the same unsettling baby blue, but his muscles were larger, more defined. His clothes had changed, if some of them could even be called that. On his chest was red fur that left his pectorals bare to the world. The fur continued down his arms, and to his waist. The fur ended where the fighting wristbands and gi sash began. Gohan had on purple gi pants that looked like Piccolo's, with Piccolo's weird Namekian shoes.

Gohan's tail had gone red, and was throwing itself around in fury. Around Gohan's eyes was this yellow line, which circled his whole eye and made the blue colour more defined. His hair was slightly longer, going down to his shoulders. It was spikier, and looked much thicker. Gohan turned to them, and before Goku could even blink, Gohan had his fist planted in Buu's gut. And quite literally, too. Gohan pulled his fist out of Buu's skin, while the fist-shaped hole Gohan had created in Buu's abdomen spewed out blood. The look in Gohan's eyes was nothing short of murderous, and it was all directed at Buu. Gohan's new appearance was giving Goku the creeps as Gohan stalked forwards, almost hissing, with an insane light in his eyes.

"You'll pay, Buu." Gohan stalked forwards, incinerating Buu's left arm with a ki blast. The Z Sword had gone red, right along with Gohan's anger. "You'll pay." Gohan snarled, his left eye twitching. Gohan screamed, lunging forwards. He blew a hole in Bbuu's chest as the monster screamed in agony. " ** _YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO THEM!_** " Gohan screeched, losing himself in his anger. His vision went red, and he lunged forwards, not even registering when he drew the Z Sword and started cutting Buu up into pieces, faster than Buu could see. For a good half an hour, Buu's screams rang through the deserted area. Goku could only step back as Buu was cut up into tiny pieces, then sliced again and again.

Gohan was relentless, attacking without a second thought and determined to kill the monster in the most brutal way possible. At some point, Gohan had begun crying, the tears evaportating as he swung his sword, screaming in agony. Blood flashed through the air, sinking into the Z Sword's blade. When Gohan deemed Buu was in enough pieces, (the corpse was unrecognizable at this point. The pieces sizzled and smoked, the monster himself being dead and gone for some time now.) Gohan flew back a couple feet and incinerated the pieces. Gohan stared at the ashes, breathing heavily, with tears dripping off his face. He made a choking sound and fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands.

His transformation dropped from his body, Gohan falling to the ground. Goku rushed in and caught his son, fussing over his injuries. Goku couldn't find much on Gohan physically, but he knew the mental wounds may never heal. Gohan was hiccupping, sobbing pitifully, curling into his father's arms. Ggoku sat on the ground, kissing his son's bruised face and stroking Gohan's arm, trying to comfort. Gohan was outright balling, screaming in agony every now and again. The half Saiyan couldn't get the image of Katrina's broken body and the sound of Kareene's screams out of his head. It was tormenting him, ripping him apart inside. In this moment, Gohan didn't even want to exist.

So when the Supreme Kai and Kibito came to take them back to Otherworld, Gohan fought it. He fought, he screamed, and thrashed, and repeatedly told everyone present that he wanted to die. He wanted to die here, where his friends were murdered in protecting Gohan. And when they were finally able to get Gohan to the Supreme Kai's planet, the others were shocked and horrified after learning what had happened. All had tried to calm Gohan down, but nothing worked. Gohan had eventually calmed down and stopped fighting, but now he was just curled into a ball and sobbing quietly on the ground. Goku had offered to watch his son while the others tried to establish some sort of normalcy after the battle, the carnage they had just witnessed.

Goku stroked Gohan's hair, staring down at his son. He hadn't even realized that he was crying until he saw some tears drip off his face and onto Gohan's head.

 _Well, Gohan,_ Goku thought gently. _That makes two of us who miss them._

Then, and only then, did Goku allow himself to break down, clutching at his son like a lifeline. Crying for the two had died to save his son, who had given up their whole existence - the greatest sacrifice anyone could ever make.

 _~Next chapter, the story ends. I hope you've enjoyed the ride, everyone. And yes, I did cry writing this chapter. Feel free to ask any questions.~_

 **Gohanforever:** One more chapter... but the battle's finished, at least.


	24. Chapter 24

_**This is it, guys. This is the end. I love you all - thank you for reading.**_

It had been a difficult five years after the battle with Buu. The majority of the population of Earth had been restored, and the Supreme Kai had offered for all those who gave up their life forces a chance to go back home, alive, but they had all refused. They didn't want to leave Gohan, as he would be forced to stay in Otherworld. He had died a natural, normal death. He was not allowed to go home. Goten and Gohan, over the years had become quite close. Goten idolised Gohan like no other, and often followed his example in everything. Goten now studied more, loved learning, and no longer got into so much trouble with Trunks. Trunks was a lot more reserved, less troublesome.

Trunks still stayed close to his parents, while Goten roamed, as long as Gohan or his mom was with him. Bulma and Vegeta were happy to spend their afterlife lives together, forever. Vegeta was no longer as arrogant, and didn't even care about showing affection and love towards his family around others. He wasn't as proud, and would often sneak Bulma away to go on surprise dates across Otherworld, while Trunks stayed with Goten and Chi-Chi. Piccolo stayed the same, albeit more protective of Gohan. Goku was a lot more serious, but could still have fun, and did so often. He kept a close eye on his eldest son. Chi-Chi no longer forced her boys to do things they didn't want to, as she was grateful for just having them around.

Android 18 and Krillin were busy leading happy lives - they had wanted Marron to grow up, and the Supreme Kai had granted that request. When Marron was twenty, she would stop growing and remain forever at that stage in her life. She was happy, and loved playing with Trunks and Goten, who would also age until they were twenty. Vegeta had quite literally gotten on his hands and knees and pleaded with the Supreme Kai to allow Vegeta and Bulma to have another child (causing Goku to choke on his tea, Krillin drop his teacup and smash it, Chi-Chi to drop the cake, for Goten to trip and fall in the cake, Yamcha who tripped, Roshi who did a double take, Tien to choke on his grape, Trunks to tip his head back and start howling in laughter, while Gohan's jaw hit the floor.)

The Supreme Kai granted that request, and soon, baby Bra was born. She was already a daddy's girl, and Vegeta was not shy about showing his affection for her. Bra and Marron were best friends, and like the other children, Bra would age until she was twenty, and then she would stop. The adults were pretty sure that Marron and Trunks were crushing on each other, while Goten and Bra were almost dating. It was funny to watch. The same offer on aging until you're twenty had been extended to Gohan, but the half Saiyan had refused, saying he was used to being in his eleven year old body and didn't want to change it. All the children got along very all, and all four of them looked up to Gohan like the hero he was.

Gohan had changed the most out of everyone. He was quiet and withdrawn, and didn't enjoy socially interacting with people. He found the most amount of comfort in Piccolo, where he could sit in silence and not be asked if he was okay. The answer was always the same - Gohan said he was fine, but he lied every time. It hurt, it was a raging pain every time Gohan thought about his two best friends, which was all the time. He never stopped thinking about them, about their sacrifice. He would forever honour their request, and the inhabitants of Otherworld had allowed Gohan to tell stories of the twins during dinner every Friday. Gohan never stopped thinking about his best friends. He refused to.

Gohan was alive, but he was barely breathing. Just praying that perhaps, one day, the Supreme Kai would be able to find a shred of their souls, and bring them back. There were limits to the things even the Supreme Kai could do, and it seemed like Gohan's best friends were forever out of reach. Gohan was currently walking in a forest, refusing to go back and face his friends and family. He walked along a stream, following the worn path. It had been a long time. Every week, Gohan came down to this exact lake and released a lantern in memory of his friends. He carried one in his hands now - half of it was ebony black, which swirled into the milky white section. Almost like the yin yang symbol.

The black and white parts were the cloth covering the candle, and the candle itself was pink, and burned a black flame. The lantern rested on a small wooden platform that Gohan had carved himself. He walked up to the lake's edge, already feeling the tears course down his cheeks. He released the lantern, watching the current carry it away, away, far away... Gohan had promised himself seven lanterns. One for each year that he spent with Katrina and Kareene. This was his seventh lantern, the last lantern to remember the people who had erased their whole existence to save him. Gohan sat down, quiet, and watched the lantern float gently down the river. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, internally cursing himself for his weakness, for his inability to save them.

A soft sound, like bells, reached his ears, and he looked up. It was Katrina. But that wasn't possible! Gohan's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as Katrina reached out to him, smiling softly. Just like she had when she died. Kareene was behind her, grinning, with a certain wisdom that had not been there before.

" _Come, Gohan,"_ Katrina said, her voice reaching Gohan and only Gohan's ears. " _You're safe._ " she smiled, touching Gohan's cheek with her soft hands, which felt like silk against his skin.

" _We love you Gohan. Never forget that._ " Katrina leaned in, her lips brushing against Gohan's. Gohan's eyes widened at the soft pressure, unsure of how to respond. Katrina drew away and smiled at Gohan, love shining through her eyes. Katrina and Kareene's ghostly forms faded and Gohan was left by himself.

"Katrina." Gohan murmured, his eyes clouding over in sadness. "I'm not okay." he said, looking down as he bore his feelings for the world to see, hear, and judge as they might. "But I will be!" Gohan looked up, determination shining in his eyes. "I will be." he said, softer, as he looked down at his hands. There was a pink marking on his palm, a replica of one he would see on Katrina. Gohan smiled at it, then wiped his tears away, watching the sun set.

 _I will never forget. Never._ Gohan promised. _I love you too._

 **THE END**

We are all done, people. Thank you for sticking around to read this!


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